


steady hearts and false starts

by LucyInTheSky (WishingTree)



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, Gen, kim's attempts usually end up backfiring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-11-30 03:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11454612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/LucyInTheSky
Summary: Kimberly wants to get closer to Trini. For platonic reasons. For… teamwork reasons. Platonic teamwork reasons. It would be good for them to get to know each other better. For the sake of the team.Kimberly’s realization that she kind of maybe wants to date her doesn’t happen until later.In which Kimberly learns things about her fellow Ranger and decides she wants to woo Trini, except there’s one problem: she’s an absolute disaster at it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so i gave trini a last name and it’s martinez i am the embodiment of the shrug emoji right now  
> (estrella is pronounced ‘es-trey-yah’)
> 
> i figured it was time kim was embarrassed for a change, but as much as i love kim, her voice is a little harder for me to get, so i hope i do this justice! not really much introspection because everything i wrote sounded terribly wrong
> 
> minor warning for some language

So Kim wasn’t exactly telling the whole truth when she said she didn’t know who Trini was before they became Rangers. Of course she’d noticed Trini, how could she not? She was beautiful, and mysterious, and somehow always so captivating, even though she kept to herself and looked ready to fight anyone who tried to talk to her.

Getting to know her didn’t lessen Kimberly’s intrigue, because she was fascinating, and so unlike anyone else Kimberly had ever met. She didn’t bother playing mind games, or waste any energy pretending to be something she wasn’t for the sake of others. She was real, real in a way Kimberly had never encountered before. Real in a way Kimberly could only dream of being.

So yes, Kim knew who Trini was before they became Rangers. But it was only afterwards that she began to fall for her.

 

 

\-----

 

 

The first Saturday Trini walked into detention trailing after Jason was a surprise. Zack yelled a greeting and held up his hand for a high five, and Trini cheerfully returned it, bumping her fist against Billy’s as she passed him and moving to the empty desk nearest to Kimberly’s with a smile on her face. Kimberly leaned over and snagged Trini’s water bottle out of her bag, grinning when she saw Trini hide a laugh at the action. 

“Hey! How’d you get detention?”

“It’s really not that hard,” Trini said, but Zack cackled from behind them. Kimberly turned to look at him questioningly, and when she turned back Trini had a light blush on her face.

“Apparently it is that hard when you’re not willing to go around crashing cars or blowing shit up!”

“Okay, Zack,” Trini huffed, pulling a stick of gum out of her bag and whipping it at him. It would have hit him in the middle of his forehead, but Trini was denied the satisfaction when he leaned back and grabbed it out of the air at the last second.

Seeing the question still on Kimberly’s face, she rolled her eyes. “I’ve been trying to get detention all week. Apparently I can actually get away with tons of shit since the teachers don’t pay attention to me.” Kimberly’s smile started to grow, and Trini scowled at her, now one step away from full on pouting.

“Aww!”

Trini eyed her warningly. “Don’t –”

“That’s so sweet! You wanted –” 

“No, stop it –”

“You wanted to hang out with us in detention!”

Trini crossed her arms and sat back in her chair with a huff, and Kimberly resisted the urge to continue poking fun of her. She nudged Trini with her elbow, giving her a apologetic grin when she looked up, and Trini relaxed, giving her a small smile back.

“So how’d you do it?” Kimberly asked as she opened the water bottle.

Trini smirked as she leaned down and started pulling things out of her backpack. “Took a page out of your book, princess. Punched a guy in the face.”

Kimberly choked out a laugh, spluttering into the water. “Seriously?” she asked, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth and smiling delightedly.

“Hm? Oh yeah, yesterday I just walked up to the first guy I saw in the halls being a dick and punched him in the face.”

Kimberly laughed again, screwing the cap back on and handing the bottle back to her. “Who was it?” 

“I don’t even know. But apparently he was on the football team so _that_  got the principal’s attention,” she shrugged, clearly unbothered. “It was cool though, he was trying to shove Ella Huang into a locker, and everyone knows she’s claustrophobic, so that’s like, double dick move.” 

Impressed, Kimberly held out her hand for a high five and then scooted her chair to the edge of her table so she’d be closer to Trini. Though all five of them spent detention hurling notes at each other across the room, Trini was close enough that if she reached she could physically hand it to her. Her heart jumped every time their fingers brushed, and she turned back to her own desk, wondering what was going on with her today.

The teacher tried to direct their attention to their coursework and workbooks, but she kept her focus on Trini, and getting odd looks from most of the others in the room didn’t stop her from staring. By the time detention was over, the other three Rangers had sent her a combined eleven versions of a confused look, and Kimberly didn't understand why. When her answering look of confusion didn’t garner any results, Kimberly shook her head and put it out of her mind, nearly tripping out of her seat as she hastened to catch up with Trini, already standing with her bag slung over her shoulder.

She could figure it out tomorrow.

 

 

\-----

 

 

Trini, as a person, was quiet, and it made Kimberly uneasy at first. All of her past friends on the cheerleading squad had always been loud and boisterous and chatty, always having something to talk about even when usually there was nothing to say. When they got quiet, it was cause for concern.

This wasn’t the case with Trini. Her default setting was quiet, and she always thought about what she wanted to say, often taking time to sort everything out in her mind first before involving others.

It was a completely different approach to everything Kimberly was used to, but she had become accustomed to settling down and waiting patiently until Trini was prepared to talk, especially when it was about something serious. It had become a thing for Kimberly to try and get her to open up, but it was slow going.

That could also be attributed to the fact that Kimberly was absolutely terrible at small talk with her.

She cast a sidelong glance at Trini, lounging with her feet propped up on the leg of the empty chair next to her and twirling her pen between her fingers. They were sitting in a coffee shop that was miraculously still standing even though it was down the street from the decimated Krispy Kreme, and despite Trini’s best efforts, Kimberly wasn’t getting very much homework done. It was surprisingly empty for this time of day, but Kimberly guessed that was due to the proximity to the mess left over from their fight with Rita and Goldar.

“So…” Kimberly broke the silence, unsure why she wanted to talk to Trini so badly. “How’s your homework going?”

“Better than yours.”

“Right,” Kimberly only managed to stay quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “Did you like the experiment we did in class last week?”

Trini only hummed noncommittally and Kimberly ducked her head down, wondering why she was doing this when Trini clearly didn’t want to talk. She laughed awkwardly, pushing away from the table and deciding if she had food in her mouth she couldn’t continue to babble like a fool. “I’m gonna get another donut. Do you want anything?”

Trini finally lifted her head and gave Kimberly a small smile, shaking her head lightly. “No, I’m okay. Thanks, Kim.”

At the counter, Kimberly ordered two donuts anyways, and she ignored the fluttery feeling in her stomach at Trini’s surprised smile when she slid the second one across the table to her.

 

 

\-----

 

 

“What’s this I hear about you getting into a fight in gym class?”

Kimberly rolled her eyes and looked up to see Trini standing in front of her window, arms crossed. “It was just Amanda and Harper and their gang. And it was barely a fight, there was just some shoving.”

Trini kept glaring at her, so Kimberly stood and shut her laptop, moving it to the other side of her bed.

“We were in the locker room and I guess they didn’t know I was there, or maybe they didn’t care, but they were talking smack about you. I get their beef against me, and if they decide to come after me it’s whatever. But they don’t go after my friends.”

Trini blinked at her, surprise sliding over her face for a moment before she frowned again, and Kimberly wondered what part of what she’d just said had been news to her.

“You shouldn’t get yourself in trouble for me,” Trini said, uncrossing her arms and lifting a hand to pull off her beanie, shaking her hair out.

“What are they gonna do, give me Saturday detention?” Kimberly commented wryly, but her smile faltered when Trini doesn’t return it. It had been a while since Trini started emoting more around the team, a couple weeks at least, and Kimberly didn’t like the stoic face any more this time around.

“Trini, they totally deserved it.”

Trini only shook her head. “You shouldn’t be getting into fights.” She didn't look at her, and Kimberly furrowed her brow, wondering why Trini seems so upset by this.

“Literally yesterday you got into a fight to protect Billy, and the rest of us.”

“That’s different,” Trini bit out, fingers playing with the material of her beanie.

“What?” Kimberly ducked her head to try and catch her eye, but Trini was better at this than she was. “Trini, what does that mean?”

Trini huffed out a sharp breath, raking her hand through her hair. “Really? You’re really going to make me say it? Alright,” she muttered under her breath, but Kimberly heard her all the same. “You shouldn’t be getting into fights because of _me_.”

Kimberly stopped and her gaze softened when she felt her heart breaking ever so slightly at Trini’s defeated tone of voice. “Trini, I know I was a pretty terrible person, but even as a cheerleader I was getting into enough fights on my own. It’s _okay_. And I’m not going to stop defending you any time soon, so don’t bother trying to make me.”

“It isn’t worth it, you should just –”

Trini stopped, and Kimberly turned to see what she was looking at. It was the wall next to the window, where she hung all her photos. It was unusually bare right now, because Kimberly had torn down all the pictures of her old friends the day she had cut her hair, but she’d been steadily filling it up with new pictures of the Rangers. 

She glanced at Trini and stepped towards it, beckoning her forward when she didn’t move.

“There, that’s the end of that. You’re on the wall, you’re worth it. What do you think?”

“I think… you’re really good at this. And I think this one was a bad idea,” she pointed at a picture of an aerial view of Angel Grove. It looked like a fairly standard photograph, except Kimberly knew Trini recognized the edge of her Zord dashboard visible in the corner of it, along with the top one of her controllers. “How did you even get your phone in there?”

Kimberly laughed, “Come on, the shot was worth it. It takes skills to pilot my Zord one-handed, you know.” She let Trini examine them one by one, but looking at it now, Kimberly noticed there were an embarrassingly high number of photos that were just of Trini, and she tried to remember when she had started taking so many pictures of the other girl.

 

 

\-----

 

 

“Race you to the top,” Trini said, tilting her head towards the cliff hiding the spaceship.

“You think you can beat me?” Kimberly asked, and Trini only smirked at her, the same challenging look she’d given her the first time they’d gone to Krispy Kreme together and ended up fighting over the last piece of donut. 

“Oh, it is on.” 

Kimberly took off like a shot, darting through trees before Trini could move, and she laughed when she heard her yelling after her. Exhilaration spread through her as she sprinted up the mountain, ground almost a blur under her feet.

There was a burst of wind next to her and she glanced to the side to see Trini leaping a boulder to overtake her. She pressed harder, putting on speed to keep ahead of her, and maybe she was showing off a little as she whirled through the trees. Crashing out into open space, she continued to following the clear path along the edge of the cliff, confident she could beat Trini to the top.

Except the ground by the edge of the cliff where they were running was more unstable than she thought, and Kimberly was moving too fast to pull back, feet scrabbling against the rock. Her eyes widened and suddenly she was falling, the ground rushing up to greet her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her flailing arms turn pink before she felt her armour, snapping out of her on instinct as she continued to hurtle downwards.

She let out a choked sound of surprise when she was grabbed by something, her descent abruptly changing into an arcing swing by something gripping her arm. Her vision filled with the sight of blue skies and treetops instead of cave rocks, and then she was flying again, this time towards high ground.

Hitting the grassy cliffside feet first, she found herself tumbling over Trini, who had her arms wrapped around her. It would seem they had both morphed into their armour when the threat of imminent harm had presented itself, and Kimberly let her mask dissolve, feeling the tension leaving her body as she slumped onto the ground, half pressed into Trini’s side.

She felt Trini’s armour shift under her cheek, and then she was touching warm skin, hard armored plating changing to soft clothes.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Kimbely mumbled as she let her own armour melt away, “Thanks for the save.”

Trini lifted an eyebrow at her but didn’t otherwise move, keeping her arm around Kimberly’s back and rubbing lightly at her shoulder. “That was kind of a dumb move.”

“Yup.” Kimberly hoped the embarrassment wasn’t showing on her face. “Kinda my thing though.” She pressed a kiss to Trini’s cheek and then hopped up before she could get too comfortable lying against her.

Trini followed her up, and when they wound up just staring at each other Kimberly rubbed the back of her neck, deciding there was no harm in finishing the race. “And on that note,” she gave Trini a casual salute and spun around, “See ya!”

“Kim! That’s cheating!”

 

 

\-----

 

 

“Trini!” The harsh tone of Trini’s mother stopped them from leaving Trini’s house, and Kimberly shot Trini an apprehensive look when she squeezed her eyes shut, slowly turning away from the door. Kimberly shifted awkwardly on her feet, and Trini’s shoulders crept up towards her ears, cheeks flushing red.

What followed was a swift stream of Spanish that Kimberly had no hope of understanding, but she recognized the tone well enough, and Trini was definitely getting chewed out for something.

“Trinity Estrella Martinez, you expect me to let this go?”

The reprimanding continued, but Kimberly’s head snapped up at Trini being full-named by her mother. Oh, this was bad.

“Excuse me, Ms. Martinez,” Kimberly stepped forwards without thinking, a surge of protectiveness rearing its head. She was unwilling to let Trini continue to get lectured, not when whatever her mom was saying was causing that _look_ on her face, desolate and pained and small. “It’s actually my fault.”

Trini’s mother raised an eyebrow at her, the motion similar to what Kimberly had seen Trini do on many occasions and yet somehow so, so different.

“It’s your fault that my daughter has been sneaking out of this house in the middle of the night?”

Kimberly’s eyes widened at the dangerous tone of her voice, and the desperate look on Trini’s face told her she was treading in perilous territory. She knew Trini couldn’t exactly explain to her mother why she had a hard time sleeping in her own bedroom, and that she was sneaking into the other Rangers’ houses in hopes of getting at least some rest.

“It’s – my cat died,” she blurted out, “I’ve had her as long as I remember, and – I’ve been, really torn up about it, and Trini… Trini’s been helping by keeping me company.”

She watched her hesitantly, hoping she hadn’t made the situation worse with her dumb excuse, but something on her face must have been really convincing because Mrs. Martinez slowly deflated and said a few more words in Spanish to Trini. Kimberly tried to read Trini’s face to see if it was good or bad, but snapped to attention when she spoke again.

“And… Kimberly? I am… sorry about your cat.”

“T-thank you,” Kimberly said to her retreating back, and then she took Trini’s arm and turned her to face the door, Kimberly ready to hustle Trini out of there.

This time they got the front door open but were interrupted by Trini’s dad coming through. He looked at them all in confusion, probably wondering why they were facing off in the front entryway, but came to some silent conclusion and smiled at them.

“Here Trini, before you go, I refilled your inhaler.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Trini held out her hand to accept the paper pharmacy bag and gave him a hesitant smile, and Kimberly was struck by how hollow it was, how strained and uncomfortable Trini looked now compared to how she was with Kimberly, or the other Rangers.

He nodded, moving past them into the house, and Kimberly started when Trini tugged on her arm, pulling her out the door. She exhaled as soon as they hit the sidewalk, and Kimberly threw her arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Trini pressed her head against Kimberly’s shoulder for a moment as she opened the bag and stuck her hand inside.

“I have asthma. Well… had. Had asthma,” she said in explanation, pulling an inhaler out of the bag “Before this whole Ranger thing. It was really bad when I was a kid, but the last couple years it’s mostly just been like, if I walk through a cloud of smoke or something.” She flipped the inhaler through the air a couple times. “I guess I don’t need this now. I suppose I’d better figure out a way to tell my parents I don’t need refills anymore.” She stared at it for a moment before sighing and stepping away from Kimberly to swing her backpack off her shoulder and stuff it inside.

“I’m sorry,” Kimberly blurted out as they continued to head slowly down the sidewalk, “If I made things worse with your mom, I wasn’t thinking, and I just –”

Trini held up a hand to stop her, shaking her head. “It’s okay,” she said softly, tucking her hands in her pockets. Kimberly was trying to decide how to cheer her up when she lifted her head.

“So… you don’t really have a dead cat, do you?”

Kimberly blinked dumbly at her until her brain caught up. “Oh! No. Well, I did have a cat, but it died when I was like, six. Apparently I cried for weeks.”

Trini’s lips quirked, and she bumped her shoulder against Kimberly’s as they walked. “Thank you.”

Kimberly smiled, and then she had to ruin it by opening her mouth. “So, Trinity Estrella, huh?”

Trini stopped and leveled a finger at her, threatening, “Listen, Kimberly _Ann_ , if you tell anyone I will end you.”

“I’m just saying, it’s a really pretty name, Trinity Estrella Martinez!”

Trini growled and lunged for her, and Kimberly giggled, taking off down the street.

 

 

\-----

 

 

Lying on the couch with her feet slung across Trini’s lap, Kimberly burst into laughter, covering her eyes with one hand while Trini watched her with a petulant look on her face. “So you just jumped him? How old even were you?”

Trini’s cheeks colored attractively, and she shrugged, ducking her head. “I don’t know, like nine or ten? He called me short!”

Kimberly cackled at her put out face as she tried to imagine a younger Trini, tiny and fierce and willing to fight teenagers. “Babe, I hate to break it to you, but you kind of are.”

Trini gaped at her and then shoved her with enough force enough to knock her off the couch, but Kimberly was laughing too hard to care, lying on the carpet with her hands wrapped around her stomach. Trini rolled her eyes, and when Kimberly managed to look up at her, her laughter finally dying down, she had a fond smile on her face.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Trini got off the couch, stepping over Kimberly and dropping a pillow on her face before heading towards the kitchen. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

Eventually Kimberly got off the floor, dusting off her clothes and wandering after Trini while she ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to return it to some semblance of order.

Trini already had a bunch of groceries out of the fridge and was currently rifling around the cutlery drawer. It was all fairly impressive, and Kimberly was glad she told Trini she had free reign, because she certainly wasn’t going to do any cooking. Kimberly, a self-proclaimed wunderkind at all things related to baking foreign desserts, could just barely handle making scrambled eggs, so anybody with skills above those was always impressive to her.

“You can cook?”

Trini looked at her over her shoulder for a moment like she was considering something, and then went back to digging through the cupboards, stretching up on her toes. “I have two kid brothers. They can’t live on pizza all the time.” She huffed and took a step back, using a hand to brush her hair away from her face and glaring at the cupboard one more time before turning to Kimberly.

“If you start laughing again I swear to god I will kick your ass.”

Kimberly just managed to swallow the answering snicker and held her hands up in surrender. “What, what’d I do?”

Trini narrowed her eyes at her and crossed her arms, unconsciously hunching her shoulders in. “… I can’t reach the plates.”

Kimberly stared at Trini, and Trini stared stubbornly at the area off to the side of Kimberly’s shoulder. There was silence in the kitchen, and Kimberly bit her lip hard, holding her breath in a vain attempt to stop her laughter. It lasted all of five seconds before she folded in on herself, laughing so hard there were tears starting to gather in her eyes, and Trini threw a dishtowel at her.

“Yeah, laugh it up, Hart. We’ll see who’s laughing when I refuse to feed you.”

“Wait, no! I’m sorry!”

 

 

\-----

 

 

Sitting in the Cranston family basement, there were opened chip bags and packages of candy scattered around them, the very obvious signs of a teenaged movie night. Kimberly got up from her spot on the couch to go wash her hands while the boys argued about which movie to put on next, and by the time she got back the situation had devolved into Zack and Jason wrestling for control of the remote, with Billy a safe distance away talking to Trini. Kimberly was pretty sure they were taking bets.

Seeing as they boys were tussling right in front of her seat, Kimberly shrugged and went over to Billy and Trini, swiping the horror movie off the coffee table and tucking the DVD case behind the lamp while they were distracted, knowing Trini hated horror movies.

Satisfied it was well hidden, she turned and nudged Trini over to make room for her on the smaller couch. She settled next to her when she moved and Trini automatically lifted the blanket she had tucked over her lap to offer the side to Kimberly.

“Hey Billy, are you sure your mom doesn’t mind it if we make noise?” she asked as she arranged her legs under her and took the blanket from Trini, keeping one eye on the wrestling match going on in front of them.

“Yeah, I asked her a couple times to be sure.”

Kimberly nodded and slumped back, and then started, sitting up again. “God, you’re hot,” Kimberly exclaimed, surprised at the amount of heat coming off of Trini’s tiny body. Zack let out a surprised laugh, cutting off with a choke when his distraction let Jason flip him over, and Kimberly gulped. She hadn’t meant to say it like that.

This was weird. She usually excelled in saying things that could be construed as suggestive. But now was the time to run fast and run far, and pretend this never happened.

Except wait. No. Trini was looking at her, lips curled up in that damn aggravating smirk, and even if her body was still physically capable of moving, she wouldn’t be able to leave under the influence of _that_. 

“That’s – I didn’t – I just meant – Yes, you’re very attractive, but how are you not overheating?” Kimberly managed to sputter, forging on in an attempt to salvage the situation and keep the rest of her dignity intact.

Trini shrugged and looked forward again. “I like blankets.”

Zack got Jason in a headlock and held up the remote in victory, but Jason managed to knock his feet out from under him and they started over once more. Watching them, Kimberly blew out a shaky breath and regained some of her her composure.

“Well, I guess that just makes you my little space heater for the night.” Trini raised an eyebrow at her, and Kimberly raised one right back, recklessly adding, “I can think of worse ways to pass the night than cuddled up with a beautiful girl.” 

Trini’s gaze was already fixed on the TV screen again, and Kimberly wondered why she felt such a strong sense of disappointment. But then Trini adjusted herself, pressing farther to the side and tugging up the end of the blanket to arrange it better over both of them, and Kimberly took that as permission to stay close.

The couch really was small, and as Kimberly settled back to try and find a comfortable position, she realized that now she was pressed completely against Trini. Oh. This decision might have been a slight error on her part. 

But Zack and Jason must have settled their dispute without her noticing because there was a movie starting, and Trini really was comfy, and only now did she notice how much cozier this was. She was warm and comfortable and safe, and all of her friends were too, and Kimberly let herself snuggle further into Trini, turning her head to face the TV. 

 

“Morning,” Jason mumbled the next day through a mouthful of cereal, eyes still half closed and more asleep than not. Zack was yawning next to him, and even Billy was slightly less energetic than usual.

It probably hadn’t been a good idea to stay up past 4am, even if it was a Sunday.

Kimberly yawned as well and echoed the greeting, sitting down at the table and reaching for an orange from the bowl in the middle. Trini was the only one missing, still asleep on the couch in the other room.

“So you were feeling really cuddly last night,” Zack wiggled his eyebrows at her, but Kimberly didn’t understand his meaning. She thought back to the night before, and she hadn’t moved after settling in with Trini.

“Yes? It was just Trini though, what’s your point?”

“It was cute,” Jason sat up a little straighter, making a visible effort to wake himself up. He gave her a look that was probably supposed to be significant, but Kimberly was far too tired to decipher any of this.

“Can one of you just say whatever it is you’re getting at?” she sighed, starting to peel her orange.

Jason put his spoon down and exchanged a look with Zack, and then turned to face her, placing both hands on the table.

“Kim, you’re my friend, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, but it has come to my attention that you’re actually blind and not just ignoring this on purpose.”

“Ignoring what?” Kimberly said cautiously.

“Out of what _I’ve_ seen, you’ve made at least six blatant come-ons in the last two weeks. And that look you’re giving me right now is telling me that they weren’t actually on purpose.”

“What?”

“He told me yesterday,” Billy spoke up, “You and Trini looked really couple–y during movie night. Yesterday. And then you both fell asleep on the couch.”

Jason nodded and tilted his head towards Billy as he watched Kimberly. “You following yet?”

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, idly trying to get her orange peel to stay in one piece.

“You and Trini would make a pretty good couple, is what he’s trying to say. Also that you like her.” Billy was munching on his cereal again, but he paused to speak, spoon held aloft. “He explained it to me last night, I think he’s trying to be obvious.”

Kimberly laughed. “What are you… why would…” She trailed off, face slowly going slack and eyes losing focus as the words echoed through her head.

“Uh, Kim? You okay?” Zack asked, trying to hold back his laughter as he bit into his toast.

“I… um, I…?” 

“Like Trini?” he prompted, and Kimberly turned her head to blink at him. “Want to date her and kiss her and do other things with her, etcetera etcetera?” When Kimberly kept staring, he shrugged and continued chewing. “You spent all night making heart eyes at her, dude.”

“I did what?” Kimberly said faintly.

Trini chose that exact moment to shuffle into the kitchen, sleep-ruffled hair mussed around her face and one hand rubbing at her eyes.

“Sup guys,” she mumbled as she passed them on her way to the fridge. Her voice was gravelly with sleep and there were pillow creases on her cheek, and Kimberly’s mouth dropped open, the orange ripping in half in her hands.

“Oh, _shit_.”

 

 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now the fun begins


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm going away for a few days so i just wanted to get this up before i left! hope it's not too rough.  
> threw a chuck reference in there too, for anyone who watched that show

Now that Kimberly was aware that she had a crush on Trini the size of a mountain, everything she did was suddenly exponentially more awkward, and she didn’t understand why. Kimberly knew how to flirt – it came with the popular cheerleader territory, and she had always excelled at it. Getting guys to do whatever she wanted? Piece of cake.

But when it came to Trini, her game was nowhere to be found, and she was reduced to an awkward jumbled mess. Every time she tried to ask Trini out, the other girl assumed it was platonic, even going so far as to invite the guys along sometimes. The dessert she tried to make her turned out to have one of the three textures Trini couldn’t stand to eat.

Her very romantic gesture of handpicked flowers she’d scoured the mountain for got soaked in the rain, and she threw them away despondently and greeted Trini with a box of dollar store chocolates instead, which they shared during movie night. She tried to open Trini’s door for her, and Trini wound up with a bloody nose.

She set the oven on fire. She dropped a plate of food right into Trini’s lap. She opened their shared locker door too quickly and slammed it into Trini’s forehead.

It went on, and after several weeks of this, Kimberly was forced to accept it. Maybe she wasn't so good at flirting after all. 

Kimberly pondered it while they were having a Ranger study session in the library. Was it the hair? Maybe she needed long hair for any of this to work. Except, no, she knew this was an attractive hairstyle on her, and she’d seen the looks she’d gotten from others. The short hair couldn't be the problem.

Trini was sitting across the table from her, and Kimberly watched her absentmindedly, twirling her pen around her fingers as she thought. Trini was focused on her assignment, idly chewing on her lip, and her fingernails were painted a deep purple, the closest color to pink Kimberly had managed to get her to agree to during their last sleepover.

On one hand, she could just _tell_ Trini how she felt, and that was probably what Jason would suggest, but that felt like the easy way out. It also seemed like the universe was trying to hammer a message into her, to give it up, but Kimberly was nothing if not an impulsive ass. If she wanted to stick it to the universe then she damn well would, no matter how ill advised it was.

Besides, Trini had to catch on eventually, right? Even if all Kimberly could pull out was an increasingly extensive series of botched attempts, she would at least realize what Kimberly was _trying_ to do. Something would set off the light bulb in her head. Trini was so perceptive with everything else, Kimberly was honestly surprised she hadn’t figured it out yet.

Blinking slowly, Trini looked up from her book, skin shining in the soft glow of the desk lamp and her lips curving into a small smile, but then her eyes widened.

“Uh, Kim?” Trini whispered, glancing around to make sure they weren’t attracting any attention before leaning forwards and pointing at Kimberly’s hands with her own pen. “You might want to stop doing that.”

“What?” Kimberly looked down and started in surprise, dropping her pen and staring at her hands in dismay. They were stained with blue ink, almost completely covered, and Kimberly sighed when she examined her traitorous pen, seeing that she must have cracked it by holding too tightly again.

“It’s – you’ve got some on your face too,” Trini told her apologetically, eyes shining as she looked at her with amusement.

“What?” Kimberly automatically touched her cheek, and then pulled her hand away when she realized the action must have smeared even more ink on her face. She sighed, bending her head down and pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned on her elbow, and then swore loudly and jumped in her seat, stretching her arms out in front of her to get her hands away from her face. Who knew she touched her face so much?

“How bad is it?” she asked in resignation. In answer, Trini picked her phone and aimed it at her, and Kimberly sighed again because now there would photographic evidence of her with ink all over her face like a kindergartener. Exactly the look she was going for in front of the girl she was hardcore crushing on.

“I’m gonna keep this,” Trini whispered to her absently as she looked at the picture, and when she turned it around to show her, Kimberly choked on air.

“That’s – that’s great,” she said feebly, looking at the decidedly unflattering image of her, but when Trini giggled and took her phone back, Kimberly figured it might be worth it.

 

 

\-----

 

 

“Heads up!”

Zack hurled a putty over his head and Trini jumped to meet it, flipping in midair and pulling an axe kick to shatter it. She landed deftly on her feet and charged at another, tearing through it just as effectively and looking around for another target.

Sitting on the sidelines, Billy and Jason clapped as Zack destroyed the last simulation putty with a flourish, but Kimberly was too busy gaping at Trini, cheeks red and heart beating entirely too fast as she watched her bounce on her toes before relaxing as the drill ended. The other girl flipped her hair over one shoulder and laughed as she gave Zack a high five, ducking the mock punch he threw at her and feigning another one to his stomach, the playful move that had quickly become the equivalent of their own secret handshake.

Distantly, Kimberly registered Billy saying something, and she struggled to tear her eyes away from the back of Trini’s head as she laughed at something Zack was saying.

“Kim?”

Billy’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and Kimberly jumped. “Sorry, what was that?”

“We’re doing team up drills now. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, of course,” Kimberly jumped down, swinging her arms and shaking out her legs, giving Trini a smile when they were picked as the first pair to go.

They moved to the center of the Pit and stood back-to-back, the routine now familiar from weeks of working and fighting together. The ground rumbled as the first wave of simulation putties rose up, and Kimberly didn’t have to turn around, instinctively understanding Trini from the way they were pressed together. Trini inhaled, her ribcage expanding against her back, and Kimberly charged forward, heading for the closest putty as Trini did the same.

Kimberly slide tackled to take out its feet and then jumped up to smash her fist into its middle, trying to ignore the wicked glint in Trini’s eyes that came out when she got to punch things.

Trini’s hair flared out as she spun through the putties, tearing through them effortlessly, and Kimberly was distracted again by the soft brown waves flying through the air. She wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through them before catching herself and hastily ducking beneath a putty arm.

Kimberly was good at keeping her attention on Trini. This worked to her advantage when they sparred against each other, because what better way was there to take down the girl than by tracking every movement and reading her intentions before she could? It was basically some kind of game, and one Kimberly was very good at.

However, keeping her attention on simulation putties didn’t work too well for her, especially not when Trini was right next to them, looking casually beautiful as she tore through them mercilessly with a delighted grin on her face.

It seemed to happen in slow motion as her gaze slid from Trini to the massive putty right in front of her, unable to avoid the swing that hit her dead center in the chest and landed her on her back, head cracking against the rock floor.

There was a crash as Trini dispatched the putty and spun her head around, finding herself in the lull that came before the second wave of putties. She came to crouch down next to Kimberly’s head and looked down, smile playing on her lips. “Having a good day?”

“Gah?” was all Kimberly managed to get out, because she had yet to catch her breath and Trini really was too pretty for her own good.

“Kim?” Now Trini’s eyes were shaded with worry, and Kimberly hurried to sit up, shaking the fog from her mind and feeling her own hair whip around her face. She groaned as her ribs protested the movement, but started when she felt Trini’s hand touching her tentatively, palm pressed against her side.

“Yup, I’m good to go, let’s do this.”

“Are you sure?” Trini asked, brow furrowed in concern as she withdrew her hand and helped Kimberly to her feet, watching her dust off her clothes.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m totally fine, bring it on.” She raised her hands again, readying herself in a defensive position, and after a moments hesitation she felt Trini do the same at her side.

The next wave of putties rose up before them, and Trini’s arm pressed against hers once, the slightest hint of pressure simultaneously asking if she was absolutely sure and giving the signal to go.

They leapt forward together, Kimberly going high and Trini sliding low to take out the first putty to come at them before spinning away from each other. It occurred to Kimberly a split second later that maybe she wasn’t entirely fine when she had to stumble back to her feet, her head suddenly spinning in a way that made her nauseous.

Given her distracted state, the rock arm of a putty slammed into her without a warning, throwing her halfway across the Pit. Kimberly hit the ground hard and scrambled clumsily to her feet, disoriented but reflexively trying to defend herself from the putties she knew were going to be charging at her. It was mostly in vain, because her vision was blurry and her head was pounding, and her body felt numb in a way she knew meant she was probably sporting some brand new scrapes and bruises that were really going to hurt as soon as her adrenaline wore off.

However, she didn’t need to worry about incoming putties, because Trini appeared and smashed through them all in an instant, breathing heavily as she stood in the rubble like an avenging angel in a t-shirt.

“Are you okay, Kim? That didn’t look good.”

It took Kimberly a few seconds to understand what she was saying, and there was a touch of panic in her words. Kimberly laughed, finding them inexplicably hilarious, but immediately stopped when it sent a lance of pain through her head. Through the haze of dust in the air, Trini was watching her with a worried expression on her face, soft brown eyes shining.

“It didn’t look good?” Kimberly repeated woozily, trying to decide which of the two Trini’s standing in front of her to focus on, “I dunno,” she mumbled as she swayed, “ _You_ look great though. Like an angel. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

Kimberly’s vision tilted as body crumpled, and she could do nothing to stop it. In front of her, Trini’s face was already pinched in distress, and her mouth dropping open was the last thing Kimberly saw before she passed out, world fading into darkness.

 

When she came to, the first thing she became aware of was the warmth of the pillow beneath her head, something soft and way better than any she owned. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she saw Trini hovering above her with a concerned smile, and she realized she must be lying with her head in Trini’s lap.

“Are we… in my living room?” she rasped, squinting up at the ceiling and the familiar light fixture.

“Sorry,” Trini said, fingers gently running through her hair. “We tried to sneak you into your room but your parents were coming down the stairs, and we had like a second and a half to hide your – um…” Trini brushed the back of her hand against Kimberly’s cheek, and she winced even at the light pressure.

“Let me guess,” Kimberly said, resisting the urge to poke at her own face, “Black eye?”

Trini shrugged apologetically, “Plus like, half your face is bruised. It might take a couple days to go away. Alpha also said you might have a minor concussion?”

“Yeah, that – that makes sense.”

Kimberly was feeling oddly lightheaded, and she blinked up at Trini woozily, wondering if she was swaying side to side just to mess with her. She brought up a fumbling hand to grab at Trini’s shoulder with the intention of stilling her movements, but missed and latched on to the material of her shirt instead. Trini brought up her own hand and covered it, leaving her other one on Kimberly’s head, fingers still gently stroking her hair.

“You’re gonna be okay,” she murmured quietly, and Kimberly already felt her eyelids drooping again. She let her head roll to the side, pressing her face into Trini’s leg as she felt the exhaustion pressing down on her. Trini’s shoulders jerked quickly, and Kimberly frowned and tried to look at her again, wondering what was wrong.

Trini was watching her with a hesitant look on her face, like she wanted to say something, but as soon as she met Kimberly’s eyes it was wiped away, expression blank once more in a way that would have fooled Kimberly in the first few weeks of knowing her. She didn’t know what to do next, and Kimberly tried to find something to tell her.

Quick Kim, say something nice. Say something cool.

Unfortunately, her mind was stalled and going absolutely nowhere, so her mouth spit out the first thing it thought of.

“Words taste like peaches.”

There was a pause, and then Trini leaned over her again, long hair hanging down to create a makeshift barrier around them. Kimberly smiled dopily at her and noted that she seemed to be eyeing her critically, gaze darting between across her face as if looking for something. “Uh – Kim?” Trini’s voice was back to concerned, and Kimberly’s brow furrowed, because she didn’t want her to worry. She struggled to keep her eyes open and say something to reassure her, but Trini’s hand was still running through her hair and it was making that exceptionally difficult.

“It’s okay, Kim. Go to sleep,” Trini told her, quiet affection clouding her tone.

Kimberly squinted even as she felt her body relaxing at her words, and she passed out wondering why the hell she was talking about peaches, of all things.

 

 

\-----

 

 

“Phone, Trini!” Kimberly called out needlessly, but half of Trini was still hidden inside the cupboard she was searching through and she yelled back the muffled request for Kimberly to answer it.

“If it’s my parents just say you’re the takeout person and my hands are full.”

“O-kay,” Kimberly shrugged, picking up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Hello, this is Mrs. Anderson from the Westlake front office, I’m calling about the Martinez twins?”

“Um, one minute please.” Kimberly pulled the phone away from her mouth and held her other hand over it, turning to yell, “Trini, Westlake’s calling about the twins?” 

There was a crash, and then a disheveled Trini appeared in the doorway, hand out for the phone. Kimberly handed it over and she immediately raised it to her ear, running her free hand through her hair.

“This is their sister Trini, is everything okay?”

Kimberly didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, but Trini wasn’t panicking as she made a couple affirmative noises, pacing around the kitchen table. She hung up without any more signs of distress, and Kimberly knew whatever the call was about probably wasn’t too serious.

Regardless, she stepped forward and put her hand on Trini’s arm. “Is everything okay?”

Trini nodded, setting the phone on the counter. “Max has a nosebleed and Mateo won’t leave his side, I’m going to pick them up.”

“Did something happen?” Kimberly asked as her eyes widened, already moving to grab her jacket.

“Oh no, it – this happens sometimes, he just gets nosebleeds. I used to get them too when I was younger.” Trini’s words were meant to be reassuring, but her fingers were fidgeting as she ushered Kimberly out the door and locked it behind them, and Kimberly knew she wouldn’t settle until she saw the boys for herself.

They were only halfway down the block when Trini started shivering in the crisp fall air, not having stopped to put on something warmer than her long-sleeved flannel, and Kimberly touched her hand to her forearm. “Here, Trin,” she said softly, already shrugging out of her jacket, “Take this, you look like you’re freezing.” She ignored Trini’s protests and swung it around her shoulders, holding the jacket there until Trini accepted it and put her hands through the sleeves. Satisfied, Kimberly stepped back, and then spent the rest of the walk deliberating if it would help still her fingers if she grabbed Trini’s hand.

They made it to the school at a slightly above average speed, and Trini shifted anxiously as they waited to be buzzed in, playing with the too-long sleeves of Kimberly’s jacket. Kimberly could see two dark heads of hair sitting by the window of the office beyond the doors, and she grabbed the handle and pulled the door open for Trini as soon as she heard the buzzer sound.

Trini hurried through and went to kneel in front of the two boys sitting in the office. “Hey, guys. You okay, Max?”

Max sighed, voice muffled by the bloody Kleenex held to his nose. “Yeah. It’s just bleeding again. We were about to watch a movie but the teacher wouldn’t let me stay even though I told him it would stop.” 

Trini laughed softly and patted his shoulder, listening as Mateo started rambling, and Kimberly hung back awkwardly until Max pointed at her.

“Right,” Trini turned to beckon her forward, letting the relief at seeing her brothers seep into her smile, “This is my friend Kim. Kim, this is Max and Mateo.” She gestured at them both in turn, and Mateo smartly held his hand out for a handshake.

“Are you really Trini’s friend?”

Kimberly laughed while Trini gaped at him, though the look did nothing to deter the boy.

“Because she doesn’t really have any friends. We’ve never even seen –”

Trini cut him off with a couple sentences in smooth-sounding Spanish, and Kimberly really wished she had chosen to take Spanish as her elective last year.

“But it’s true! You – ”

“Okay, cut it out,” Trini snapped at them, but the words were completely lacking any of her usual bite, replaced with a softness Kimberly had never heard from her. Trini stood and ignored their protests as she ruffled their hair, Max’s significantly more careful than Mateo’s, and then went to the secretary to sign them out, leaving Kimberly facing the two expectant faces of the boys. There was silence for a moment, and then words burst out of them as they started talking over each other.

“So do you like Trini?”

“You look cool, are you cool?”

“Are you coming home with us?”

“You’re really friends with her?”

“Trini’s nice when she’s not being mean, she should have lots of friends.”

Kimberly couldn’t get a word in, and when Trini came back they both stopped immediately, smiling sweetly at her with identical looks on their faces. She eyed them, obviously not buying it, but her lips were curling into an affectionate smile.

“Alright guys, time to go.” She helped them both put on their backpacks, and pulled Max’s hand away from his nose slowly to see if it was still bleeding. “It’s almost stopped bleeding, toss that Kleenex and grab a few more for the walk.”

He nodded and did what she said, and they waved at Mrs. Anderson as they made their way outside. Trini was holding each of their hands, and Kimberly smiled as she trailed after them.

“I wanna hold Kim’s hand!” Mateo exclaimed as he shook himself out of Trini’s grip and dashed around them to grab on to Kimberly’s hand. Surprised, Kimberly bumped into Trini when he jostled her, but held his hand securely and returned his grin before giving Trini an apologetic look.

“You gotta hold hands too,” Max leaned forward to see them both, voice only slightly stuffy as he pulled the Kleenex away from his nose. “That’s the rule. Everybody has to hold hands when we walk home.” He lifted Trini’s arm and waved the hand he had clutched in hers as if to prove his point.

Kimberly’s eyes widened as she looked at him, before glancing down at Mateo who nodded enthusiastically and pointed at her free hand, hanging loosely at her side a few inches away from Trini’s. Then she lifted her gaze to Trini, who only smirked at her and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Well, what do you say, princess?” She wiggled her fingers at her, but her face was angled to the side, not looking at Kimberly directly.

Taking a deep breath, Kimberly slowly reached out and tangled her fingers with Trini’s, pressing their palms together. She smiled, inordinately pleased with herself, and her chest swelled when she spotted the small smile Trini was trying to hide.

Trini swiped her thumb along Kimberly’s hand, completely derailing her train of thought, and she was looking up at her shyly through her lashes. Kimberly wanted to blurt everything out right there, stubborn feud with the universe, dignity, and presence of little brothers be damned, but just caught the words before they made it past her lips.

“So, you’re wearing my jacket as we stroll through town and now we’re holding hands, should we finish this up and go get a milkshake at the roller rink?” she said instead, and Trini rolled her eyes playfully.

“Maybe let’s go on a real date first, yeah?”

Kimberly tripped and almost fell, stumbling as she caught her balance and bit back a swear, mindful of Max and Mateo.

As she was frantically trying to figure out if there was even a hint of seriousness in that sentence, Mateo eyed her dubiously and pulled her back by the hand, waiting for her to start walking properly again. “I thought you were supposed to be cool,” he said accusingly, and Trini snorted, swinging their linked hands as Kimberly’s face burned.

“Wow, even my little brother sees right through you,” Trini grinned at her, and Kimberly swallowed before returning it, hoping he really couldn't. Because if Trini’s little brother figured it out before she did, Kimberly might actually have to give this all up and die of embarrassment.

 

 

\-----


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait guys, i've had to deal with some pretty serious stuff that came up, hopefully this is up to par. but i'll try and get the rest of the chapters up asap!

Sitting on the floor of the Pit, Kimberly groaned as she reread the texts from her parents, thunking her head back against the rock wall. Lying on the ground beside her, Trini turned to look at her questioningly, and Kimberly sighed.

“My parents,” she said in answer, dropping her hand down to play with some of the loose strands of Trini’s hair, “They’re going to some fancy dinner party, and apparently I have to go too. I thought I got out of these,” she grumbled, uncrossing her legs and splaying them out in front of her.

Sitting on one of the ledges connecting the Pit to the ship, Jason tilted his head. “Not fun?”

Kimberly shook her head, fingers moving from the ends of Trini’s hair to brushing it away from her forehead. “I don’t mind the dressing fancy, and the schmoozing’s not so bad…”

Trini turned onto her side and made a face, wriggling around to find a comfy position on the rock floor and pillowing her head on her arms. “So what is it?”

“I have to dance this time,” Kimberly said in a defeated voice, holding up her phone to show the text. “Ballroom dance. Which I can’t do.”

Zack whistled and Jason made a sympathetic noise, while Billy furrowed his brow. “They can’t make you do something you don’t know how to do.”

Kimberly laughed. “If only they understood that. Thanks, Billy. I guess I’ll just have to embarrass my way through the night, I’ve definitely had enough practice with that.”

“Sounds like you need a crash course,” Zack mused, swinging his leg and looking like he was holding back laughter. Kimberly narrowed her eyes, knowing it was only a matter of time before one of them started to make fun of her, but fingers tapping at her hand distracted her.

“Dude, that’s easy. I can teach you enough to survive one night, how much dancing can they expect from you?” Kimberly turned to see Trini sit up, brushing off her shirt.

“What?” she asked, surprised.

Trini shrugged carelessly, standing and holding out her hand to help Kimberly to her feet. Kimberly let Trini pull her up and then stayed where she was as Trini moved towards the center of the cave, not understanding what she was doing.

“I took a couple months of dance lessons, I can show you some stuff.” She beckoned for her and Kimberly stepped forward.

“Dance lessons? You’re going to teach me how to dance?”

Trini raised an eyebrow and nodded, and after a beat Kimberly’s mouth dropped open. Trini was still watching her expectantly with her hand held out, and Kimberly placed her own in it on instinct, letting Trini pull her forwards, though she would deny the fact that she stumbled the step until the day she died.

Holy shit she can dance. Trini Martinez can _ballroom dance_.

Kimberly gaped at her for what was probably far too long before she managed to snap out of it. “Oh, right now?” she squeaked.

“Is there a problem with that?” Trini asked with a raised eyebrow, wry smile playing on her lips. Kimberly’s brain short-circuited at seeing it this close to her face, and she was barely within arms reach yet.

“I – I, the, I mean, erm,” she shot a desperate look behind her, whether to find some inspiration and also command of her voice, or some support from the guys, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she couldn’t learn how to dance – learn how to _ballroom dance_ \- with Trini, from Trini, in front of the others.

“Something you want, Kim?” Jason called out, leaning over to whisper something in Billy’s ear.

“Yeah, the help is coming from your girl, remember? Not us,” Zack snickered, leaning back on his elbows.

The three guys were sitting on a raised ledge of rock, lined up and looking like they would be eating popcorn if this were a cartoon.

“I’m sure Trini’s a great teacher,” Billy called out earnestly, making a shooing motion with his hands, and Kimberly barely contained the look of panic on her face when she turned back.

“M-maybe we could do this… somewhere else? I don’t… the party’s probably going to be in a room with actual walls, and, and I should – you know, should probably learn someplace that isn’t… this pit,” she finished weakly, trying not to let her inner panic show on her face. The words came out properly, and Kimberly was mentally patting herself on the back for saying something mostly sensible and avoiding this situation, except then it hit her that if Trini wasn’t going to teach her now, she was going to teach her later. And that was a whole other problem, because as much as she couldn’t do it in front of the guys, she didn’t know how she was supposed to survive it alone. With Trini. Always with Trini. That was an important detail.

 

Later found them standing face to face in Kimberly’s living room, and if this whole thing was supposed to be a learning experience, then it wasn’t exactly successful, because the only thing Kimberly had learned this entire time was that she was terrible at ballroom dancing.

“Okay, that wasn’t too good,” Trini said, pulling them to a stop and prodding at Kimberly’s foot with her toes.

Kimberly frowned down at her own feet, listening to the tune of the classical music Trini had chosen playing from her phone across the room. She vaguely recognized it from her mostly-forgotten childhood piano lessons, but it was nothing more than a faint background track.

Though she was half a head shorter than her, Trini was carefully leading Kimberly through the steps, the intense focus on her face making Kimberly’s heart melt just a little bit more. They were almost completely pressed together, Trini’s arm wrapped around Kimberly to rest against her shoulder blade and Kimberly’s on her shoulder, clasped hands held aloft as they turned in clumsy circles thanks to Kimberly’s body spontaneously losing any ounce of grace it had ever possessed. The tentative distance she was keeping between them wasn’t helping either, not knowing how much contact Trini would be comfortable with for a simple dance lesson.

In addition to not knowing where to put her feet, Kimberly didn’t know where to put her eyes, gaze shifting around uncertainly. This close together, Trini’s wide brown eyes were even more entrancing than usual, but when she tried to tear her gaze away from them she inevitably ended up staring at Trini’s lips, which was not at all the solution she was looking for. Kimberly had to chastise herself for getting distracted again, and she fought the urge to just close the last few inches between them and rest her head against Trini’s, trying desperately to get herself under control and being pulled in too many directions.

The sad part of all this was that Kimberly was fairly sure she could do it now, at least a waltz or simple box step, but Trini was so distracting that she kept screwing it up. All she was doing was stumbling and rambling and stepping on Trini’s toes, proving that Trini really was a very patient teacher.

“Okay, this – I, it’s not working,” Kimberly stepped back, frustrated with herself, but Trini only followed and put her hand back on her shoulder, the other going to Kimberly’s wrist and lightly tugging.

“Come on, just give it a little longer,” she said gently, “You can totally do this, I know you can.”

Kimberly gave her a faint smile. “Well, thank you for the faith. Anyone ever tell you that you’re an exceptionally patient person? I would’ve given up by now.”

Trini laughed, moving Kimberly’s arms so they were braced properly again, making sure her hand was on her shoulder. “Now don’t let this go to your head, princess, but I’m pretty sure you’re just special. Other people annoy the fuck out of me.”

“I don’t annoy you?” Kimberly pressed a hand to her chest, a touched expression on her face. “I have never been so flattered in my entire life,” she pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye while Trini scoffed, her cheeks flushing prettily.

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, pulling Kimberly’s hand away from her face, “I regret it already, shut up and dance.”

With a start Kimberly realized they had successfully been swaying in slow circles as they talked, and her shock tripped them up immediately. Trini laughed as she stumbled, pulling them to a stop and grabbing her other arm to help her catch her balance. Kimberly let the sound wash over her, letting the feeling of what it had just been like to dance with Trini sink in, and she was struck with the yearning to do it properly, not in her living room with music coming out of a tinny phone speaker. She wanted to dance with Trini in a ballroom with suits and dresses and sparkly things, just to see what it would be like, to see if it was as wonderful as this was right here at home in loose t-shirts and shorts and patterned socks.

She bit her lip nervously and watched as Trini adjusted her posture again, tilting her chin up and arranging Kimberly’s arms like she’d been doing since they started. Her hair was falling out of the loose ponytail she had thrown it in, little wisps sticking out around her face and curling against her neck, and the muscles in her arms flexed as she reached out for Kimberly again, setting her hands in the proper places. There was a soft smile on her face, and Kimberly knew she was enjoying herself, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Trini chose that moment to look up, and Kimberly blushed when she was caught staring. Blinking quickly, she hesitated and met Trini’s eyes before turning her head and pretending to examine the window. “Do you… would you like to come with me? To the dinner party?”

Trini looked up in surprise from where she had been trying to nudge Kimberly’s foot into the right position. There was sweat collecting at the base of Kimberly’s neck, and she rolled her shoulders in discomfort, regretting the movement when it caused Trini to lift her hand. The faint strains of the music were still echoing through the room, the haunting melody sounding like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, and Kimberly swallowed.

“Yeah, sure,” Trini nodded, “I’ll be your date to the dinner party.”

Kimberly’s eyes widened in disbelief. It couldn’t possibly be that easy, could it?

“O – oh! Oh, great!”

Smiling, Trini glanced up at her and gave her a crooked smile. “I’ve never been to one of these things. My mom’ll be thrilled I’ve got friends inviting me to fancy parties.”

Kimberly froze, feeling like somebody had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. Friends. Right. Trini was going to come to the party as Kimberly’s friend.

She opened her mouth in a half ditch attempt to correct the misunderstanding, but Trini was already holding her arms out again, taking Kimberly’s hand and pulling her closer, and found she couldn’t get any words out.

Trini was now humming along to the song, so quietly Kimberly definitely would have missed it if she wasn’t so close to her, and she slowly bowed her head instead. She closed her eyes and unconsciously leaned forward, touching her forehead gently against Trini’s temple, and inhaled sharply when she felt Trini lean into the touch. They stayed like that, pressed against each other and swaying across the room, and Kimberly knew without a doubt that she was a goner.

 

 

\-----

 

 

It had rained heavily overnight, meaning the trees were still wet the next day, which in turn meant that the conditions for climbing them were not ideal. Unfortunately, Kimberly’s brain wasn’t considering that fact, instead thinking that it couldn’t hurt to show off a little for Trini.

Climbing this tree was something Kimberly had done hundreds of times, even before she’d gotten her Ranger abilities, but of course this would be the time she slipped and fell out of the tree, hitting every branch along the way and landing on her ass.

“Ow,” she said, blinking up at the sky, and a shadow fell over her face as Trini stuck her head into her line of sight. Kimberly gave her a lopsided grin, shrugging her shoulders sheepishly, “But at least I was close, right?”

Trini sighed, but still looked smug when she spoke. “I told you this was a bad day for it.”

“Hey, you can’t take the sky from me.”

“Kim, your Zord can fly, I’m not taking anything from you. Getting all scratched up trying to get to the top of a tree is so not the most effective way for you to see the sky.” Kimberly made an offended noise as Trini raised an eyebrow at her, and then she laughed as she pointed out the way Kimberly’s bare arms were now covered in scratches, small drops of blood starting to drip down. “Alright, let’s go patch you up, dumbass.”

Seeing as Trini’s house was closest and her family wasn’t home, they chose it over Kimberly’s, and Trini kept her arm wrapped around Kimberly’s waist on the way while Kimberly tried to keep the blood from dripping onto her clothes. When they got there, Trini led her to the bathroom, sitting her down on the edge of the bathtub and rummaging through a few cabinets.

“I’ve got Spiderman and Pokémon,” Trini said evenly as she turned back, holding two small boxes with her eyes narrowed as if daring Kimberly to laugh.

Kimberly grinned, undeterred by her threatening look. “Let’s go with Pokémon. Your house has cool band-aids.”

Trini rolled her eyes, but her hands were gentle as she cleaned the scratches, laying band-aids over the deeper ones that weren’t immediately closing thanks to their accelerated Ranger healing. Kimberly was content to let her work, murmuring her thanks when Trini finally stepped back.

“Um… Kim?”

Trini was shifting uncertainly on her feet, hands pressing into her sides, and Kimberly’s brow furrowed when she realized Trini was nervous about something.

“Yeah?”

“So, uh, the twins… asked me to invite you to their soccer game. It’s the qualifier for some tournament, and they said something about wanting you there?”

The words gave Kimberly pause, and she tilted her head to the side. “They want… me?”

The sound of the garage door opening interrupted them, and Trini swore under her breath as she jumped up, sweeping the band-aid wrappings into the trash can and opening the door a crack to stick her head out. She indicated at Kimberly to be quiet, but Kimberly didn’t know what she was listening for.

Soon she heard the sound of running feet, and Max and Mateo were greeting Trini loudly at the door, just visible to Kimberly in the space below Trini’s arm.

“Is Mami home?” Trini whispered back at them, and they both shook their heads.

“She went back to work, but Papi’s downstairs,” Mateo told her, and Max wriggled past Trini into the bathroom.

“Oh, hi Kim!”

Mateo lit up at his words and pushed his way past Trini as well, going to tackle her in a hug while Max grinned up at her, but pulled back at the last second when he noted her band-aids with wide eyes. “What happened?”

His face was worried as he reached out a small hand to touch the edge of one of the band-aids, and Kimberly smiled at him. “It was just a dumb accident, I promise I’m fine.” They didn’t look like they believed her, and she waved both arms out to the side to prove it. Apparently they took this as an invitation to hug her, because they rushed forward and she laughed in surprise, wrapping an arm around each of them.

They were both grinning widely when they pulled away, Mateo tugging on her shirt as he bounced on his toes.

“Did Trini tell you about our game?” Max was eying her with a shy look on his face, and Kimberly blinked before nodding enthusiastically, lifting her head to shoot a teasing grin at Trini standing behind them.

“She sure did! I would love to come if you guys really want me there.”

“Really?”

They looked up at her hopefully, and Kimberly smiled. “Of course!” Max grinned and Mateo rocked back on his heels in relief, but they were both still watching her expectantly, and after a moment Kimberly reached out to awkwardly pat them on the head. She cursed herself immediately, vainly searching for some appropriate way to display affection, but luckily the twins seemed to find this hilarious.

“Okay guys, time to get out and leave us alone.” Trini made a shooing motion towards the door, trying to shuffle her still–giggling brothers out.

They were silent for a moment, and then Mateo said something quickly in Spanish, causing Max to burst into laughter and Trini’s face to turn red. Max started to add something, and Kimberly caught her name before Trini grabbed for them and they both took off running. Their voices echoed through the hallway, and Trini yelled something after them in rapid-fire Spanish. One of the boys shouted something back while the other just laughed, and from the look on Trini’s face that wasn’t the answer she was looking for.

She huffed and turned back to Kimberly, narrowing her eyes when she saw the look on her face. “They’re cute,” Kimberly laughed, and Trini grumbled something under her breath, swatting at her. “So what’d they say?”

Trini stopped, posture suddenly back to nervous. “Just… excited you’re coming to the game is all.”

Kimberly squinted, knowing Trini was holding something back, but also knowing that there was no way to get it out of her if Trini didn’t want to talk. Kimberly nodded instead, but resolved to start teaching herself some Spanish soon. If she was going to be hanging around the three Martinez’s more often, and she wanted to know at least some of what was going on.

She brightened at the thought, because if she asked Trini would almost definitely agree to tutor her, and one-on-one study sessions would give her ample opportunity to up her flirting game.

There was a crash from downstairs followed by exuberantly yelled apologies, and they both jumped, their eyes meeting again.

“We should go check that out,” Trini said, gesturing vaguely over her shoulder, and Kimberly nodded, reaching out to grab Trini’s hand and readying herself to go face the chaos.

 

 

\-----

 

 

Kimberly parked her car at the base of the mountain a short distance away from Zack’s trailer, deciding a short hike before picking up Zack and heading to school would do her good. It was a routine now, their strategy to make Zack to attend school more frequently, at the very least show up for more classes than he skipped. She found showing up at his door and threatening to manhandle him into the car was fairly effective, but she also wasn’t going to start bugging him earlier than she needed to.

She started to climb, inhaling deeply and smiling at the morning sunshine playing off the leaves. She had just reached the top, an area not too far from Trini’s yoga spot, when her phone buzzed. Kimberly smiled when she saw it was a text from Trini and swiped it open, her heart stuttering as soon as she read the words.

_Hey you wanna go out later? I’m craving donuts_

There was a pause before her phone buzzed again, receiving a two more messages in quick succession.

_Maybe don’t invite the boys this time?_

_Just us_

There was a crack, and Kimberly stared at her hand in shock, watching numbly as the shattered pieces of glass and plastic fell to the ground. The words she had seen on the screen stayed floating in the forefront of her mind, and after a moment she yelped and jumped into action, spinning to sprint towards Zack’s trailer and tearing off down the mountain. This was most likely just Trini asking her to hang out as a friend, but either way she couldn’t let the other girl think she was blowing her off.

“Zack! Wake up asshole, I need your phone!” She slid to a stop in front of his trailer and started knocking at the door, belatedly remembering that his mom might still be asleep and winced, withdrawing her hand.

A second later, Zack pulled the door open with a confused look on his face and Kimberly seized his arm, dragging him outside.

“Gimme your phone,” Kimberly demanded, letting him go and turning to face him.

“What’s wrong with your phone?” Zack asked curiously, not reacting with nearly enough urgency for Kimberly.

“I broke it again, but Trini just texted me and I have to answer her!” She waved her arms around to try and get him to understand how pressing this was, but he just grinned.

“Geez, you broke another one? What, too busy failing at flirting with your girlfriend to hold it properly?”

“She’s not my girlfriend! And – and I do not _fail_ – what are you talking about, I’m great at flirting,” Kimberly flushed.

“You punched her in the face yesterday, you’re gonna call that good flirting?”

“Please Zack, just let me use your phone so I can message Trini!” Kimberly held her hand out desperately, and Zack laughed even as he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over, slapping it into her open palm.

“Kim, you’re a goddamn mess.”

She ignored him and frantically tried to sign in to her Facebook account so she could message Trini from herself, taking three tries to spell her own name right. Quickly typing out an apology, she told Trini she’d accidentally shattered her phone, and then she stared at the screen with wide eyes and froze, trying to remember the exact wording of Trini’s texts. Her heart was beating much too quickly, and some very small remaining rational part of her brain was telling her she was overreacting.

“Well?” Zack asked, peering over her shoulder, “Are you gonna say something?”

She took a deep breath and tried to control her shaking fingers, searching for the best response. She could practically feel the seconds ticking away, and she rapidly ran through possible responses, finally settling on the simplest one for her sanity’s sake.

_Yeah!_

She held her breath as she hit send, wondering if she’d made the wrong decision, and then wondered why she was freaking out so much over this. Her and Trini texted each other all the time. Zack shifted behind her, and she startled, having forgotten he was there.

“…That’s it?”

Kimberly stared down at the one tiny word, hair falling into her face, and she felt completely ridiculous even without Zack laughing at her.

 

 

\-----


	4. Chapter 4

They were caught by surprise when a huge wave of putties swarmed out of the woods one day, apparently still having retained enough of Rita’s magic to be a serious problem for the Rangers. The stampeded towards the town, and really, Kimberly didn’t know how much more damage Angel Grove could take. Luckily, Saturday detention had only let out half an hour ago, meaning they were all still together when Alpha sent out the message, and they started running towards the old mine on a path to intercept the putties.

Jason’s mouth was set in a grim line as they sprinted through town, trying to keep themselves at normal human speeds as they passed panicked streams of people heading for the recently established Angel Grove emergency gathering points.

“Okay, I’ll cover the north side. Billy, you take the west before the houses, try and keep them from getting to the suburbs. Trini, Kim, you’re fastest, circle around and find a good area to bottle them in on the far side, come from the east and south. Zack, you take west facing the cliffs. We have to corral them before they get to town.”

“How the hell am I supposed to know which direction west is in!” Zack yelled as he pulled to a stop, scanning the buildings for a clue as he instinctively turned in the direction Billy had already disappeared.

Jason set off, and Kimberly looked up to catch sight of the afternoon sun, mentally orienting herself and changing directions.

“Come on!” Kimberly called to Trini as she started to run, angling towards the edge of town and the higher cliffs beyond, in the direction of the mine. They morphed as soon as they crossed the boundary of the old fence, and she could feel the moment the others morphed as well, their connection strengthening now that they were all in their armor.

The world flew past her as she ran, becoming a blur with how fast they were moving. Kimberly leapt towards the higher ground and crashed through some trees, skidding to a stop on the edge of the cliff. Trini slid in right next to her a moment later, and she put up a hand to try and see better, scanning the view below her in vain to find some area that would give them a tactical advantage. She could already see the clouds of dust from what she assumed were the other Rangers attacking, trying to push the horde of putties back, and quickly zeroed in on the unsecured side.

“There,” she pointed, “We can block them there, keep them together.” Trini nodded tersely, observing the scene in front of them.

“I’ll go around, put a barrier between them and the town.”

They both set off, splitting up when they reached the mess of putties, and then Kimberly was in destruction mode, becoming absorbed with smashing through everything she could reach. She could feel the other rangers, their colors shining somewhere on the edge of her awareness, and she knew they were doing okay so far.

She was fighting her way closer to Trini when it became apparent that her area was where most of the putties were congregating towards, listening as the boys yelled quips at each other through their helmet mics, and Kimberly laughed even as the knot of anxiety curled heavy in her stomach.

Suddenly Jason went silent and Kimberly felt a flash of panic, bright red and desperate and not hers.

“Wait, what time is it? I was supposed to pick Pearl up from school,” Jason said with horror in his voice, “Shit, she’s waiting for me at school!”

“What? But it’s Saturday,” Trini yelled out.

“It’s some tournament or something, they called an extra practice this weekend!”

“Woodside’s right in the middle of this whole mess,” Billy said worriedly, and Jason made a panicked noise.

Zack grunted as he slammed two putties into each other. “She with a teacher or something?”

“I – I don’t know, sometimes she goes to the park right next to it to wait for me, I don’t –” He was cut off and Kimberly heard the distinctive zapping slash of his power sword as he swore loudly.

Quickly lifting her head and clocking the state of the fight around her, Kimberly recognized that the putties were largely headed towards Trini and the boys, and she was smashing through them from the back. While effective, Kimberly knew she was the one who could afford to leave, even though Trini would have to shift her focus a bit to the side and cover more area.

“Nothing’s coming this way anymore, I’m on it!” she yelled, grabbing one last putty and using it to swing herself around, kicking the heads off two others. “Trini, cover me!”

“Got it!” 

Kimberly turned and ran, entering town and soaring over the rows of houses as her eyes searched for the right street. She belatedly retracted her armor as she landed a block away from the elementary school, sparing a second to check if anyone had seen her, but the sound of an explosion not too far away spurned her into action once more.

She ran towards the door and found it locked, and hastily jumped the fence to land in the middle of the park next to the school.

“Pearl?” she called out, doing a hasty lap of the park and scanning for any sight of the girl. “Pearl, are you here?”

She was still in tune with the other Rangers, and she was glad the connection was there to let her know they were all still holding their own, giving her the faint impression of each of the Rangers still fighting.

A flash of movement caught her attention, a small figure poking their head out from behind the slide, and Kimberly darted over, holding her hands out for Jason’s sister. Pearl fell into her arms easily, thin arms wrapping around her shoulders and clinging tightly.

“Jason, I’ve got her!”

Kimberly could almost _feel_  Jason’s relief, and she heard him exhale. “Okay. Okay, thanks Kim.”

Trini’s voice interrupted them, high and fast and just a little bit frantic. “Wait, have they gotten near my house?” Kimberly picked her head up, a new wave of worry flooding through her, but nobody could give an answer.

“I’m supposed to be home with my brothers.” Trini took a rattling breath, sounding like she was fighting for breath, and she hadn’t even sounded this scared when they were facing Goldar, all convinced they were about to die for the world. “They’re alone – shit, I can’t – guys, I can’t get away, they keep trying to get past me!” Trini’s voice rang out desperately, and Kimberly pulled back from Pearl, brushing her hair away from her face. 

“Trini, I’ll go! I’ll get them, I promise,” Kimberly said firmly, squeezing Pearl’s arms reassuringly when she looked up at her with a frightened look on her face.

“Kim?” Pearl asked nervously.

“Okay, I need you to close your eyes and hang on tight. Can you do that?”

Pearl stared at her with watery eyes, but took a deep breath and rubbed her face once, nodding with the same determined expression Kimberly had seen on Jason. Kimberly crouched down again and turned, standing when she felt Pearl’s arms go around her neck.

“You ready?” she asked, hefting her up once and making sure her legs were locked around her waist. She felt Pearl nod against her shoulder and her arms tighten around her neck, and she took a deep breath before setting off again, this time sticking to the sidewalks.

The streets were empty, the population of Angel Grove having quickly learned that when signs of a superpowered fight started appearing they should get out of the way fast, but Kimberly wasn’t sure how successful she was in controlling her speed so as to not give her identity away to Pearl. They made it to Trini’s house without delay, and she skidded on the front lawn, hurrying up the front porch.

“Guys?” She knocked on the door, calling out, “Max! Mateo! It’s me, it’s Kimberly, Trini sent me to get you!” 

Pearl slid down and stood at her side, using both hands to hold one of Kimberly’s, and Kimberly put her other hand on her shoulder as she concentrated, trying to stretch her enhanced hearing out. She needed to know if the boys were in the house, and sighed when she heard shuffling and then quick footsteps sounding on the stairs before the door was pulled open, revealing the two boys.

“Hi,” she said, relief heavy in her voice, “Hi, guys, it’s okay. Come on, Trini sent me, I’m going to get you guys to the emergency meet up station.”

They looked at her doubtfully, but stepped forward after Max swiped a set of keys off the table by the entryway. Mateo closed the door while Max handed the keys to Kimberly, and she locked the door behind them, trying to smile reassuringly.

“It’s okay,” Pearl piped up, hugging her arms around herself but standing tall, “She’s really fast.”

Kimberly nodded, waiting as Max and Mateo exchanged a look before staring up at her and nodding back.

“Okay, here we go,” Kimberly whispered. She waited for Pearl to clamber onto her back again, and then crouched down to wrap an arm around each of Trini’s brothers, ducking her head so they could hook their arms around her neck. Mentally recalling the map of emergency service stations Jason had made them all memorize, she figured out the closest one and nodded decisively, knowing the fastest route to get them to the community center.

“Ready?”

All three kids nodded against her, and Kimberly narrowed her eyes, feeling a rush of protectiveness feeding in with the collective desire to defend the town that was echoing back to her from the others, still fighting outside the boundary of Angel Grove.

She shifted on her feet to get used to the new weight she was carrying, making sure her grip on the kids was good, and then started jogging, gaining speed as she hit the street. She went past Pearl’s school again and cut through the bike path as a shortcut towards the community center. She skidded to a stop before she crossed the tree line, close enough that she could see the gathered townsfolk milling around, chattering worriedly as they watched the clouds of dust being disturbed in the distance.

“And here we are,” she set the twins down gently and bent over to let Pearl slide off her back, quickly scanning them over and patting them down to make sure she hadn’t gotten them hurt in her sprint over. They look a little shell-shocked and windblown, but none the worse for wear.

“Okay guys, go on. Stick together, yeah? Pearl, I know your parents are here somewhere, but if you can’t find them right away stay with someone you know. One of your teachers or something, got it? Trini and Jason will be here as soon as they can, I promise.”

Mateo was clutching at the end of her jacket, worried eyes staring up at her. “You’re not coming?” Max and Pearl were mirroring his look, and Kimberly knelt down in front of them, giving them a rueful smile.

“Everyone’s supposed to stay together until the danger’s over,” Pearl said in a small voice, brow furrowed.

“I gotta go, okay? I’m going to help more people who are in trouble,” she gently tried to pry Mateo’s hands off as she moved to stand, ruffling Pearl’s hair and then shifting to take one of Max’s hands in her own when she was the way he was fidgeting with his fingers.

“Is that what Trini’s doing?”

Kimberly paused, setting her knee back on the ground. “Yeah,” she said softly, “Yeah, that’s exactly what your sister’s doing. And she’s amazing at it, okay?” She smiled gently at them, hoping they weren’t about to start freaking out on her, because she needed to get back to the Rangers and she was woefully unprepared to deal with distressed children. “She’s… she’s practically a superhero, and she’s not going to let people get hurt if she can stop it.”

They were still watching her uncertainly, and Kimberly nudged Max gently in the jaw, prompting him to give her a small smile. “I believe in her, more than I believe in most people. She’s strong, and she’s brave, and… she’s – she’s wonderful. So you don’t need to be scared, okay?” She bit her tongue before she could start gushing about Trini, because now was definitely not the time or place for it, nor were the younger siblings of her friends the right audience.

“Okay?”

She held out her arms and they all moved forward to give her a group hug, and then she shooed them forward. Hidden from view, she watched as they were greeted by a couple Kimberly recognized to be Jason’s neighbors. Once she was satisfied they were safe, she backed away and turned towards the fight, finally letting herself run at full speed to get back to help her friends.

 

 

\-----

 

 

Kimberly’s eyes flew open and she let out a strangled gasp, just barely able to stop from throwing herself off the bed. Her pulse was pounding in her ears, but only the familiar sight of her ceiling greeted her, nothing threatening in her otherwise empty room.

She struggled to calm her breathing as she sucked in deep breaths and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish the panic and lingering unease of the nightmare she barely even remembered. Shaking her head aggressively to dispel the faint impression of heat and flames that must have been connected to their fight against Goldar, she rolled onto her back. Slowly, she got her heartbeat back under control, listening to the quiet stillness of her house, and that was when she realized she was lying sideways on her bed, on top of the covers, with Trini lying across from her fast asleep.

There were papers and pens scattered between them, and they must have fallen asleep while trying to study. Carefully, Kimberly pushed herself up and started to gather everything with shaky hands, stacking them into a neat pile and setting everything on her nightstand, grateful she hadn’t woken Trini up with her nightmare.

Trini stayed asleep, breathing quiet and even, and before Kimberly realized what she was doing, she reached out her hand, hovering it over Trini’s shoulder. Trini was an incredibly light sleeper, though Kimberly didn’t know if it was due to Rita’s attack or if she had just always been that way. She certainly had her own share of nightmares, and the nights when she could rest undisturbed were unfortunately few and far between.

She brushed her hand softly across her arm, resisting the urge to play with her hair. Kimberly wasn’t stupid, and she was almost fully convinced Trini returned her feelings. She didn’t actually think she’d be rejected if she asked Trini out, aside from the ever-present irrational fear at the back of her mind, but she was still hesitant to talk to Trini about it.

What would happen if she did say yes? Trini deserved a proper romance, a whirlwind picture perfect relationship with everything she wanted, and Kimberly wasn’t the perfect picture of anything except backstabbing and betrayal. She probably did deserve better than what Kimberly could give her, and Kimberly slowly retracted her hand, feeling her shoulders slump even farther. Of course she deserved better than what Kimberly could give her, that wasn’t even a question. Trini might not agree, but it was true.

Trini’s face was soft in her sleep, face smooth save for a tiny wrinkle between her eyes, and Kimberly wondered what would happen if she smoothed it out with her finger. Trini made her _better_ , somehow, except Kimberly shook her head because that wasn’t right. Trini made her want to be better, and Kimberly wondered if it was selfish to continue hanging around Trini and the rest of the team in hopes that she could redeem herself and grow into the person they all seemed to believe she was. She grimaced and blinked away the beginning of tears forming in her eyes, ducking her head and taking a deep breath.

After a moment, she mentally shook herself out of it. Until Trini told her to back off, Kimberly was going to stick around. She tried not to think about herself when she was around Trini, and it was always so easy with the other girl there to focus on.

Finally deciding that it would be better for both of them if they went to sleep properly instead of flopped over in a way that was sure to put cricks in their necks the next day, Kimberly slid off the bed and pulled the top of the blankets off. She moved around the side, trying to decide the best way to get to Trini.

“Trini,” she whispered, “Hey, it’s me.” She lightly placed her hand on Trini’s forearm, making sure not to lean over her. Trini had told her how she’d woken up to Rita hanging on top of her, and Kimberly didn’t want to take any chances in freaking her out like that.

She shook her as gently as she could, and a moment later Trini blinked sleepily at her, bringing up a hand to rub at her eyes. “…Kim?”

“Hey, you,” she said quietly, smiling at her, “Let’s get to bed, alright?”

Trini sighed and nodded agreeably, but otherwise didn’t move, and Kimberly helped her slide under the covers and adjusted the pillow as best she could with Trini already laying on it before getting into bed herself.

Watching her now, curling underneath the blanket and snuggling her cheek deeper into the pillow, Kimberly knew with absolute certainty that she was completely smitten, whether she liked it or not.

Trini interrupted her thoughts by shifting onto her back. “Wha’s wrong?” she slurred, furrowing her brow, and Kimberly could see she was struggling to open her eyes.

“Shh, nothing’s wrong. Go back to sleep,” she told her, gently stroking her hair. Trini hummed at the touch and sank back onto the bed, but Kimberly could see on her face that she was still resisting sleep.

“Jus’ tell me what’s wrong, princess,” she mumbled, and Kimberly’s heart clenched at the nickname, so much softer in her half-asleep state. She hesitated for a moment but didn’t say anything, continuing to card her fingers through her hair. Trini didn’t settle, seemingly determined to wake up and deal with whatever was bothering her, and Kimberly smiled adoringly despite herself.

“Come here,” she murmured, gathering Trini in her arms and hugging her close. Trini tucked her head underneath Kimberly’s chin, nuzzling her nose against the skin of her neck, and Kimberly breathed deeply, holding her tighter. She knew Trini would fall back asleep almost instantly now, because it always reassured her to know someone was there. It was a strategy Kimberly had figured out very quickly in the days after Rita, how to comfort Trini until she could fall back asleep after waking in the middle of the night.

An overwhelming feeling began to bloom in her chest, the one that appeared whenever Trini felt safe enough around her to let her guard down and do something like this. Kimberly knew she had trouble sleeping, but on most occasions she knocked out like a light with Kimberly, and it never got old how good it made her feel.

Kimberly didn’t let her own eyes close until she was sure Trini was asleep, her breathing soft and easy against the side of her neck, and she never loosened her grip once.

 

 

\-----

 

 

“You doing anything after school today?” Kimberly asked Trini in biology, sitting next to her while the rest of the class trickled in.

Trini thought for a moment and then shook her head, digging through her backpack for something.

“Wanna head to the mine with me? I could use some air.”

Trini looked up with her notebook in her hand, shrugging as she set her bag back on the floor. “Sure, I’m down.”

Kimberly tapped the back of Trini’s hand, reaching for one of the hair elastics Trini had around her wrist. “Great! Okay, I’ll see you after class?”

Trini nodded, but then huffed a laugh when Kimberly didn’t get up to move to her seat near the front, instead staying where she was.

“What? We’re doing lab reports this class, I’m going to have to get up and move here anyways.” Kimberly shrugged, undeterred by Trini’s bemused look. Trini responded by kicking Kimberly’s chair, but Kimberly only grinned at her, eyes glittering playfully and daring Trini to admit that she wasn’t annoyed. Trini, always so stoic, stared her down, but Kimberly noticed when her eyes flickered to the side and made a triumphant noise.

Satisfied, she sat back and laughed when Trini rolled her eyes and leaned over to shove her in the shoulder. “Hey, no attacking your own teammate! Show some team spirit!”

Trini held up a fist and waved it around in the vaguest possible motion resembling a fist pump. “Go team,” she drawled, and she looked pleased when Kimberly snorted.

The rest of the students were almost settled, telling them it was almost time to start class. Glancing around the room and not spotting a clock, Kimberly chose not to check her phone, instead reaching for Trini’s arm again and turning it so she could see the time on her watch. She only blinked at her when Trini’s eyes widened in surprise, belatedly realizing that it might not have been a touch Trini was expecting, but Trini’s shoulders were relaxed so Kimberly knew she was okay.

“Well, in just about an hour we’re free,” she stated, dropping Trini’s arm, and Trini leaned forward on her elbows.

“Good. I’m so ready to get outside.”

 

“God it’s hot today,” Trini groaned as they reached the top, pace not faltering but pulling her beanie off her head and stuffing it into her pocket, “I regret this. Let’s go back to school, at least they have fans there.”

Kimberly nodded slowly and squinted through the searingly bright sunlight, finally spotting the edge of the cliff. “At least I’ve got a plan! I know a great way to cool off,” she said, tilting her head towards the cliff.

Following her, Trini pursed her lips and leaned forwards, eyeing the drop and then rocking back on her heels. “Nah, I'm good.”

Kimberly only grinned and spun around to face her, extending her hand. She held it out gallantly and waited for Trini to make her choice, though when she saw what she was doing, Trini stopped and tilted her head.

“What?”

Kimberly wordlessly waved her forward, still keeping her hand out, and Trini quirked an eyebrow.

“What, so you can drag me off the cliff again?”

“Come on,” Kimberly jerked her head towards the edge, smiling softly, “You know it's the best way to travel.”

Trini eyed her, and Kimberly made sure none of her nervousness was displayed on her face as she waited. 

Eventually Trini let out a little sigh, nothing more than a puff of air and reached out, placing her hand in Kimberly's like they were ballroom dancing in her living room again. Kimberly grinned and drew her closer, wrapping her arms around her and pressing her cheek to Trini's hair. She felt Trini's arms wrap around her waist, and she pressed a kiss to Trini's temple before she could stop herself. 

“I'm really sorry about this,” she whispered into her hair, and to stop herself from making things awkward by just standing there hugging Trini, she threw them both over the side of the cliff.

 

 

\-----

 

 

Kimberly propped her elbows on her knees and laced her fingers together, hiding her yawn. It was early morning, the sunlight only just starting to peak over the mountains, and Kimberly would be upset she wasn’t still in bed at this ungodly hour, except she was with Trini. Trini was on her rock going through yoga poses while Kimberly sat next to her, being significantly less productive as she tried not to fall asleep.

Having no patience for yoga, Kimberly had declined to join her, but Trini never seemed to mind her presence here at her spot, high in the cliffs with only the birds as company. Kimberly had found her here one morning as she was hiking the trails, and occasionally Trini would send her a text that never directly asked for her company but Kimberly knew meant she wanted it anyways. They didn’t usually talk, but being in the other girl’s company was comfortable all the same, easy and effortlessly soothing.

So Kimberly dragged herself voluntarily out of bed to be with Trini, and whined to herself until she saw her, leaning against a tree at the base of the mountain with her headphones on and her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. The whole world was quiet at this time, and they hiked up together, breathing in the morning air.

Sometimes she dozed next to her while she waited, and sometimes she sat back and just took in the view from the top of the mountain. Sometimes she watched Trini.

It was enthralling, the way Trini smoothly transitioned between poses, face peaceful even though Kimberly could hear the faint sounds of her music, heavy metal surprisingly not disrupting the stillness of the morning. As much as Trini claimed that she needed to do yoga to relax, Kimberly found just sitting here more than enough.

“I can feel you staring, you know,” Trini said as she lowered her headphones, breaking the silence, and Kimberly startled, immediately tearing her gaze away from Trini and looking out at the town instead.

“Uh –”

She flushed at the thought that Trini had noticed Kimberly watching her, and hesitantly slid her gaze back, giving her a sheepish smile. Trini coughed as she adjusted her beanie, and her cheeks looked almost pink in the light from the rising sun.

“You’ve been doing it a lot lately,” Trini commented with a raised eyebrow, her voice taking on a strange timbre, “Any particular reason?” Her hands curled into loose fists, hanging at her sides, and she shifted uncertainly on her feet.

Kimberly froze as her mind scrambled to find an acceptable answer, but the silence was stretching on for too long and she found herself blurting out, “Because – you’re… pretty.”

Her eyes slammed shut as soon as the words left her mouth and she bit back a whine. This was unbelievable, she thought to herself despairingly, and after a moment cautiously cracked an eye open.

Trini was staring at her with wide eyes, mouth hanging open, and there were alarms screeching inside Kimberly’s mind, with sirens and flashing lights and lots of screaming. Kimberly pressed her lips together, half wincing as she waited for Trini’s response.

“Um… okay, uh, cool. Thanks,” Trini said, drawing out the word awkwardly. There were a few more moments of silence and then she nodded again, an overwhelmed look spreading across her face. “Well, we’d better get to school!” she said too brightly, somehow managing to sound like she was mumbling at the same time, and then she bent to pick up her backpack and set off down the mountain. Only the way she paused and lingered a couple feet away to wait for her told Kimberly she wasn’t upset about anything, more than likely just incredibly confused and trying to avoid thinking about what had just happened until she had sorted through it.

Kimberly dropped her head in her hands and groaned. “Fuck my life.” 

 

 

\-----

 

 

Kimberly had been hiding from Trini for the better part of a week, and she was well aware of how ridiculous she was being. While giving this new mission of avoidance her best shot, her choices had led her to doing ridiculous things, including but not limited to literally scaling a wall, diving across the hall to hide in some poor unsuspecting seventh grade classroom, and jumping over a fence to land in a flowerbed.

Now she was hiding out with the guys, them having somehow figured out where she was spending her lunch hour since she hadn’t shown up at the caf. They were huddled around in a loose circle in the nicest study room available to students, the one with the comfy chairs and wide windows overlooking the front field. Billy had his homework spread out on the desk in front him in addition to his lunch, but Jason was doodling all over his math sheet next to him and Zack was lounging on another desk, not even pretending to study as he scarfed down his sandwich.

“Guys, I’m serious,” Kimberly said, “I can’t face Trini for like, a month.”

Zack grinned at her. “You’re being a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

She gave a smirking Jason the finger and glared at Zack. “Shut up. Look, I’ve got a plan, I just need a little time not spent embarrassing myself in front of…” she trailed off and tried to focus, somehow sensing Trini’s approaching through the halls through their Ranger connection. “She’s coming right now, isn’t she,” she finished, her tone resigned.

Billy looked up, head tilted to the side. “Probably. She texted me and I told her we were here. She wants to talk to Zack and he won’t answer his phone.”

Kimberly jumped up and scrambled for the only other door in the room, cheeks burning red as she heard Jason’s laugh echoing after her.

Closing herself into the supply closet, she kept one hand on the doorknob and pressed her ear to the door, hearing the murmur of Trini’s voice enter the room. She couldn’t make out any words, but eventually she heard the sound of a door opening and closing.

“You can come out now,” Jason said loudly, “She’s gone, no Trini’s in sight.”

Kimberly sighed and dropped her head against the door before pulling it open and stepping back into the room, noting that Zack must have gone with Trini.

“Why are you doing this exactly? Are you like, scared that she’ll find out you like her?” Billy called over as he furrowed his brow, looking like he was solving some complex mathematical equation.

“It’s… it’s not that,” Kimberly huffed even though he was mostly right, raking her hands through her hair.

Jason stood up and moved around the desk to stand next to her. “Well, get your shit together, because we have training on Sunday and you’re both going to be there, whether you like it or not.”

“Trini’s noticed what you’re doing, by the way,” Billy piped up from his desk, chewing on a carrot stick, “She’s very observant.”

“I know,” Kimberly sighed, rubbing her arms, “I know, it’s just…”

“Kim, you don’t have to be _scared_ of her,” Jason laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her in for a side-hug. She exhaled and wrapped an arm around his waist to hug back before pulling away, returning Billy’s supportive smile.

Just then Kimberly heard Trini’s voice in the hallway outside the door again, clearing coming closer, and she startled as her head whipped around in desperation.

Maybe the boys were right, and she didn’t have to be avoiding Trini at all. But she had never felt anything this before, so, yes, she was scared. And maybe she was panicking a little bit, and maybe she did the only logical thing she could think of.

She jumped out the window.

 

 

\-----


	5. Chapter 5

Kimberly hoisted herself up over Trini’s windowsill, swinging a foot over and then wincing when she accidentally clipped one of the little cactus pots Trini kept on her desk. A quick glance around showed that Trini wasn’t in bed or even in her room, further confirming her suspicion the Trini wasn’t sleeping again, even though it was well past 3 in the morning. Kimberly could still feel it, the anxious thrumming in her chest that felt like it was echoing yellow, and she took a deep breath, trying to work through it as well as send some calming vibes to Trini. Who the hell knew how this Ranger bond thing worked, at the very least it was worth a shot.

She moved to climb fully into Trini’s room, but her plan was derailed when her other boot somehow got tangled in the curtain, pulling her off balance. She grunted when she tipped forward, catching herself on her elbows with a muffled curse and then freezing, listening for any indication that she’d alerted somebody to her presence.

Hearing nothing, she quickly twisted around, facing the window and sitting on Trini’s desk with her free leg crossed under her as she tried to detach the curtain from one of the loose buckles on her boot.

Suddenly there was the bang of the door opening, and Kimberly jumped in surprise, letting out a little yelp as she fell backwards off the desk and hit the floor with a thump. Her body tensed in preparation for a fight, but she recognized Trini’s presence and quickly let herself go limp instead of launching herself up. Sighing, she cracked an eye open when she felt Trini standing over her.

“Uh, hey, Trini!” Kimberly tilted her head back and gave her a lopsided upside-down grin, laughing nervously.

“Kim, what the hell are you doing!” Trini hissed, stepping back to stick her head out into the hall and then closing her bedroom door, turning to face her.

“Sorry! I was – I didn’t mean to, it was just…” she watched Trini and let herself trail off. “Your – curtain,” she huffed instead, batting at the white material blowing lightly in the breeze with one hand as she pushed herself into a sitting position, left leg still extended up so the heel of her boot rested on the edge of Trini’s desk while she was on the floor.

Behind her, she felt Trini move to sit on her bed, undoubtedly fixing her with an unimpressed stare.

“I didn’t – you weren’t asleep, so I came to see if something was wrong.” Kimberly leaned forwards, reaching for the curtain again. When she couldn’t get it loose, she rolled her eyes and sighed, tugging her boot off to try and fix it in a more dignified position.

Trini narrowed her eyes. “How did you know I wasn’t asleep?”

“It’s – with the, I mean…” Kimberly awkwardly clambered to her feet, now holding her boot in her hand, “I could… feel it.” Kimberly waved her hand around a couple times while she leaned back against Trini’s desk, flushing and ducking her head down to fiddle with the stuck curtain.

“Feel it?”

“Through the morphing grid, I assume. It feels like… pacing. Like your mind is pacing, sort of.” She made a satisfied noise when she successfully unhooked the curtain, checking to make sure she hadn’t damaged it before letting it fall.

“Okay, I also came to see if I could help. I wanna help.” She shifted her weight onto one leg, feeling the difference in height wearing one boot made.

There was silence, and then Trini rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever, get over here.” 

Kimberly let her shoulders fall in relief and made her way to the bed, toeing off her other boot along the way. She waited for Trini to settle under the covers before climbing in after her, and sighed happily when her head landed on the soft pillow.

There was silence for a couple moments before Trini spoke again. “I’m still pissed at you, by the way. For ignoring me, or whatever the hell that was, and I’m glad you’re over it.”

Her face was turned away and hidden by her hair, and Kimberly knew she never would have admitted it otherwise.

“Me too,” Kimberly said quietly, turning onto her side to face Trini, tucking one hand under her head. “I’m sorry.”

Trini shifted but didn’t say anything else, and as silence settled in the room, Kimberly felt her eyes drooping shut. Trini didn’t move, but Kimberly knew she was still awake from the cadence of her breathing, too shallow and shaking ever so slightly.

“You’re still not sleeping,” Kimberly murmured, shifting her head on the pillow and watching as Trini’s shoulders stiffened slightly before slowly relaxing again.

“I guess not,” Trini muttered, not turning around, “It’s just… it hasn’t been a good night for me.”

Kimberly’s forehead creased with concern at the words, and she reached out to sling her arm over Trini’s waist, pulling her closer. Trini made a surprised sound but didn’t pull away, slowly relaxing back into Kimberly.

Her lips quirked up in a small smile, and Kimberly shifted as she tried to hide a yawn against Trini’s shoulder, feeling the exhaustion of the day combined with her run across town to get to Trini’s house catching up with her. She wiggled her fingers, accidentally pressing into the skin of Trini's ribs, and received an elbow in the stomach for it.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Trini whispered with a horrified expression on her face, whipping around to stare at her with wide eyes and pressing her hands to the same spot, making it even more difficult for Kimberly to catch her breath.

“It’s, it’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Kimberly wheezed, clumsily patting at Trini’s elbow. “I’m fine.”

Trini’s eyes roved her face worriedly, and Kimberly gave her a gentle smile. Taking a moment to separate the feeling from the pain of what would definitely be turning into a bruise soon, she could feel the yellow anxiety in her chest abating at the same time as her own, and she relaxed even farther knowing that Trini found her presence as comforting as she did.

“I promise. Look, just come here,” Kimberly reached out, shaking her head before Trini could protest. “Unless your plan is to stay up all night, which is not a plan I approve of, you’re going to let me cuddle you so you can fall asleep. Don’t try to fight me on this, Trini Martinez, I know how to make you sleep.”

Trini blinked at her, and Kimberly could see how tired she was in the tilt of her head and the defensive curl of her shoulders.

“Kim, I know you think that sounded threatening, but it really didn’t,” Trini finally muttered, but she wriggled closer and let Kimberly wrap her arm around her. After a beat she slowly nestled her head into the curve of Kimberly’s neck, and Kimberly tightened her grip.

“I can be threatening,” she protested halfheartedly, and Trini only hummed in response. Her breathing was slowly evening out, and Kimberly started running her fingers through her hair. Soon enough she was fast asleep, and Kimberly never loosened her hold, falling asleep with a pleased smile playing on her lips.

 

 

\-----

 

 

Trini was sitting outside of the juice bar, smoothie on the table in front of her as she tore a napkin to shreds. She looked cool and composed in her bomber jacket and beanie, albeit a little bit bored.

On the contrary, Kimberly was crouched behind some bushes a couple meters away, pushing shrubbery away from her face while the boys huddled around her and tried to give her a pep talk. It was a significantly less dignified position to be in.

She had decided to ask Trini out, to hopefully avoid any more mishaps, but that decision presented the new challenge of how the hell she was supposed to actually do it.

“Dude, you just need to chill,” Zack told her, patting her on the am.

“But how do I even bring it up? Oh my god,” Kimberly dragged her hands down her face despairingly. “How do people do this? How did _I_ used to do this?!”

“Let’s go one step at a time,” Billy suggested, helpfully reaching over to pluck a small twig out of Kimberly’s hair, “Break it up into a series of little actions, and go one by one. That can make things easier sometimes.”

Jason brightened. “Good idea, man. Okay, Kim, it’s simple. Literally just walk over there, say ‘Hey, Trini,’ and then sit down.”

Zack smirked as Jason was talking, but Kimberly was ignoring him because for some reason she really did need this simplified.

“Straight line,” Jason repeated, a serious look on his face, like he was outlining a game plan, “A couple steps, ‘Hey Trini,’ and sit. You can do it. You’ve done it before. You know how to say hello and sit in a chair.”

“Right,” Kimberly nodded, “Right, I can do that.” She paused uncertainly. “I can do that, right?”

“You can do that!” Billy confirmed, enthusiastically nodding his head.

“And then you’re probably gonna have to make small talk or something,” Zack cut in, “As soon as there’s a gap in the conversation, just spit it out. Easy!”

“Easy,” Kimberly repeated to herself, “Right.”

Standing and brushing herself off, Kimberly took a deep breath and started forward, every step feeling like it was weighted with lead. Trini lit up as soon as she saw her, and Kimberly’s mouth immediately went dry as she forgot how to make her legs move. She somehow made it the final couple steps and her mouth stretched into an automatic grin as she lifted her hand in a wave.

“Hey Tri–”

She promptly tripped over her own foot, knocking her hip into the table and jostling Trini’s drink. Trini’s eyes widened as she grabbed for the smoothie, and Kimberly smacked both hands on the tabletop to try and steady it. They both breathed out in relief when the wobbly table and the drink were stabilized, and Kimberly gave her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that. Hey, Trini.”

And then the table collapsed under her hands, and she went down with it, gracefully face planting right in front of Trini.

Her face flushed dark red as she laid sprawled out on her side, but almost immediately had to bite back a yelp as the smoothie landed on her as well, bursting and spilling against the back of her head and leaking down her clothes.

She turned onto her back and didn’t move, face screwed up at the uncomfortably cold sensation of the smoothie spreading across her body and down the back of her shirt.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

Kimberly winced, not wanting to look and see Trini’s reaction. She licked her lips and tasted fruit, groaning when she registered how much of the smoothie had landed on her.

Not knowing what else to do, she glanced up at Trini’s shocked face and tried to shrug nonchalantly, blinking and making a mostly thoughtful sound. “Mm. Strawberry.”

Trini raised an eyebrow at her and huffed an amused laugh, kneeling down to help her sit up. “That was really great, Kim,” she said wryly, “Seriously, good job. I don’t think you could have done more damage if you tried.”

“Well, you know me,” Kimberly said faintly, looking around to check out the mess she’d caused, “Go big or go home, right?”

“You’ve been acting really weird lately,” Trini stated, hesitantly hovering her hands over Kimberly’s arm. She plucked at her sleeve, clearly reluctant to get smoothie on her.

“Have I?” Kimberly said with a strangled voice, shaking her arm out and laughing weakly.

Trini stood and held out her arms to help her up. “Come on, let’s go find a bathroom and try to clean you off a little.”

“Wait!” Kimberly flushed again at the note of panic in her voice, but at least she was fairly certain that the melting smoothie on her face would cover up her blush. “Wait, no, let’s… hang on for a second, I… want to talk to you about something real quick first.” She knew if she let this moment pass she would never work up the nerve to ask Trini out again.

“Um… okay,” Trini stopped, brow furrowed in confusion. “Here,” she stood and righted the table, extending her hand down for Kimberly. Waiting for her to grab it, she hauled her up and then pulled a chair closer for her to sit, watching her expectantly.

Kimberly set her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers. “So, neither of us are – seeing anybody,” she started carefully, trying to think about her words instead of spitting them out.

Trini raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue and probably wondering why this was the topic of conversation she was going with whilst covered in smoothie.

“So I’m just… Are you – interested – in anyone?”

“Me?” Trini raised an eyebrow again, and Kimberly bit her lip to give her another too-wide smile as Trini ducked her head to play with her sleeve. “Uh, n–no, not really. Who would want to date me?”

“Anyone would be lucky to date you!”

Trini gave her a look, a confusing mix of amusement and uncertainty. “Kim, people don’t even particularly like me. And I don’t really like most of them.”

“People – people like you,” Kimberly objected, not able to come up with anything better.

As if to prove her point, Tommy Oliver came walking up and paused in front of them on her way into the juice bar, a girl Kimberly knew was in Trini’s gym class and partnered with her for drills. Kimberly had been in the same history class as her last year and liked her well enough, but the way she was smiling at Trini right now made Kimberly shift in her seat uneasily.

“Oh, hey guys! How’s it going?” She grinned and cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, Kim, you’ve got a little something…” she gestured at what ended up being all of Kimberly, eyes shining with mirth.

“Gee, thanks for the info, Oliver,” Kimberly said dryly, corner of her mouth quirking up as she pushed down a surge of annoyance, not sure where it was coming from. “I never would have guessed.”

Trini laughed. “Hey, Tommy. It’s a new thing she’s trying, wearing the smoothie instead of drinking it.”

“Of course, of course.” Tommy nodded back, easy grin sliding onto her face. “Alright, well, it was nice running into you! I’ll see you guys later.” She nodded at Kimberly and then sent Trini a wink before disappearing through the door, flouncing gracefully inside.

“See! You can’t say everyone hates you. Tommy likes you.” Kimberly pointed after her empathetically.

There was a pause as Trini thought her words over, tilting her head in a way that made her hair cascade over her shoulder, and Kimberly caught her breath.

“Okay, but what does…” Trini scratched the back of her head, tilting her beanie slightly more to the side, “What does – Tommy…” she quirked an eyebrow. “You… you think I should ask Tommy out?” Trini said incredulously. She turned in her chair, sending a curious look through the window, and Kimberly didn’t know how she had managed to achieve the exact opposite result of what she had intended.

“No!” Kimberly yelped, reaching out and grabbing Trini’s wrist to stop her from getting up. There was another pause as Trini gave her a weird look yet again.

“I’m – I’m just going to get you some napkins, Kimmy,” Trini said with an amused smile, a note of confusion furrowing her brow.

“O-oh,” Kimberly stuttered, lowering her hand and then dropping it, “Oh, right. Okay. Sorry. Thanks.” Trini gave her another careful once-over before leaving, and Kimberly balled up her hands into fists, thumping one against her forehead.

She wanted to just drop her head down onto the table and hide her face, but it was splattered with spilled smoothie, and Kimberly had quite enough of it on her already.

All at once she remembered the boys were most definitely still hiding in the bushes, and she groaned again, dropping her head into her hands. She snuck a look around, seeing a closer section of bushes shaking suspiciously, and a hand shot out before it was abruptly yanked back in. A second later Zack’s head popped out, and her eyes narrowing when she saw he was laughing so hard he had tear tracks running down his cheeks.

“You’re doing great!” he yelled breathlessly, but it ended in a strangled choke as he was dragged back into the bushes.

Returning her gaze to the table, Kimberly plucked despondently at a lock of hair hanging in her face, trying to knock some of the smoothie off. All it did was glob and fall onto her cheek, and she sighed, this time not resisting the urge to thunk her head onto the table and ignoring how the action was going to get even more smoothie on her face.

“You doing okay?”

Kimberly startled at Trini’s voice, jerking upright in her chair, and her face fell in dismay when she realized the front part of her hair was now sticking straight up, no doubt dripping pink. Trini giggled, holding out a handful of napkins, and Kimberly stared in disbelief.

“Kim?”

Kimberly blinked, shaking her head and using one hand to swipe through her hair and flatten it against her forehead. “Okay, that’s it. You know what?” she said, addressing the sky as she reached out and carefully accepted the napkins from Trini. “I give up. I give up!” She straightened and looked Trini dead in the eye. “Do you want to go out with me? On a date, a real one.”

Everything around them seemed to stop, and she held her breath as Trini’s mouth fell open, accidentally crumpling the napkins in her hand. She was acutely aware of the smoothie slowly melting in her hair and dripping off her clothes, and of the fact that she probably resembled a very sad circus clown whose trick had gone wrong. Not her best look, or her best move, and she tried to hold back her wince as she waited.

“…Yeah,” Trini finally said, “Yeah, yes. Yes! I’ll – go on a date with you, yes.” She cleared her throat and adjusted her beanie, giving Kimberly a shy smile. Kimberly blinked in surprise, and then she beamed, face splitting into a wide grin.

Something flashed across Trini’s face. “Oh for – dude, is this why you’ve been acting so weird lately? You were trying to ask me out?”

Kimberly nodded sheepishly, and Trini leaned over to punch her in the shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?” Kimberly jumped and rubbed at her arm.

Blushing, Trini pulled back and wrapped her arms around herself. “For being such a moron,” she mumbled, averting her eyes.

“What can I say,” Kimberly grinned at her, smiling harder when Trini glared, “Pretty girls make me do stupid things.”

Trini opened her mouth to respond but then closed it immediately, glowering harder and pulling her beanie down lower on her forehead. She said something under her breath that Kimberly missed, so she reached forward to poke at her, but Trini batted her hands away, pointing at the napkins insistently.

“I can’t believe I’ve liked you all this time,” Trini muttered, “You’re actually an idiot.”

“It only took me, like… a couple tries. Now what did you say before that?” Kimberly asked curiously, ignoring her waving hand.

“What? Nothing.”

Tilting her head, Kimberly took in the way Trini was starting to blush, red spreading across her cheeks. “No, what is it?”

Trini worried her lip and then sighed, mumbling, “I just… you’re the pretty one. Is what I said.” It was the most charming thing Kimberly had ever seen, and she leaned forward.

“Trini, can I kiss you right now?”

Startled, Trini looked up with wide eyes, and Kimberly waited until she nodded to move. She surged forward and kissed her, putting her hands on Trini’s cheeks and pressing as close as their chairs would allow. Trini’s hands came up to grip her wrists and she pressed back, the smile on her face matching Kimberly’s.

They broke apart, and Trini rested her forehead against Kimberly’s. “Isn’t that supposed to happen after a date?” she gasped, closing her eyes.

“Maybe,” Kimberly panted, letting her own eyes slide shut for a moment, “But I’ve been getting everything else wrong, so might as well finish up with a complete set.”

Trini snorted, butting her forehead gently against Kimberly’s.

“Sorry,” Kimberly breathed, opening her eyes to see the streaks of smoothie she’d left on Trini’s face and shirt.

“Yech,” Trini wrinkled her nose, craning her neck uncomfortably and pulling at the collar of her shirt even as she laughed, the sound high and happy and bringing an even wider smile to Kimberly’s face. Her eyes were bright, and she reached out to smear a bigger mess across Kimberly’s cheek, grinning up at her.

There was a beat where Kimberly just stared at her, and then she lunged for Trini, trying to wipe the smoothie onto as much of her as she could reach, and Trini shrieked with laughter, trying to push her off. They hit the ground together and continued struggling until someone pointedly clearing their throat distracted them.

“You’re going to get us banned from the juice bar,” Billy said plainly, linking his hands together.

They both stopped and looked up to see the three boys standing in front of them, and they finally let each other go, breathlessly flopping onto the sidewalk.

“He’s got a point,” Kimberly said after catching her breath, and Trini hummed in agreement before pushing herself up on her elbows.

“Wait a minute – what are you guys doing here?”

“We came to save Kim’s desperate ass,” Zack said cheerfully, swinging his arms, “She was freaking out about – ”

“Okay, thank you, Zack!” Kimberly cut him off, shooting up to her feet and clamping her hand over his mouth. “No need to embarrass me any more,” she said through gritted teeth, “I’ve kinda got that covered already.”

Jason laughed. “I’ll say! Hey Trini, are you sure you want to date this mess? She doesn’t even – ”

Kimberly growled and released Zack, diving for Jason instead and planting a hand on his face to push him away.

“Hey Trini, I’ve got a great idea!” she said with false enthusiasm, “Let’s leave! I think that’s a great idea. We can go find that bathroom and finally get this mess off.” Not waiting for an answer, she marched over to Trini and grabbed her wrist, pulling her away and starting down the street. Trini laughed and waved over her shoulder before wrapping both hands around one of Kimberly’s.

“Don’t worry,” she murmured, going up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against Kimberly’s cheek, “I don’t care what the guys say, I’m not changing my mind about going on a date with you.”

Kimberly smiled at her, and Trini smirked back. “I will have to insist that you show up without being covered in something edible though, smoothie or otherwise. I do have standards, you know.” Kimberly sputtered, but rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do my best.”

Trini grinned at her. “Then I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Kimberly nodded. “No more accidents,” she stated firmly, and that was the exact moment she walked into a stop sign.

"Oh, come on!"

 


End file.
